Starmer suggests US ‘trying to interfere in our democracy’ over Nowak claims | Politics

After US vice president JD Vance blamed mass immigration for the murder of British teenager Henry Nowak, Keir Starmer claimed that the US was trying to interfere with British democracy.

No. 10 responded after the senior Republican politician claimed in a post on

Downing Street did not name Vance directly but said its response to his comments was that “in recent days we have seen people trying to interfere with our democracy and incite division on our streets.”

A spokesman said: “The Nowak family is grieving after Henry’s horrific murder. They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We must respect their wishes.”

“Our politics must bring people together, even in the most dire circumstances. That’s who we are as a country.”

Footage showing police officers handcuffing her killer Vickrum Digwa as she lay dying from stab wounds after she falsely accused him of racial abuse sparked a national outcry over Nowak’s murder. Digwa, a British-born Sikh, was eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years.

Nowak’s family, who met with Starmer on Thursday, asked that her death not be used to create further division, hatred or tension. However, after the conviction, right-wing US figures made various statements about the case. The US state department, led by Marco Rubio, portrayed the case as an example of Britain’s “civilisational decline”.

Inside a post on xThe department said: “Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring signs of the decline of civilization. They must be rejected across the West. The United States extends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.”

Starmer later said the police response was under review but rejected the US state department’s characterization of UK policing. “It’s really important that we are very, very clear that no matter what others say, no matter where they say it from, no matter what country in the world they are from, we police without fear or favor,” he told LBC. He also said Britain should not be afraid to ask difficult questions of the police.

The Liberal Democrats called for the US ambassador to the UK to be summoned over what they called “blatant foreign interference aimed at fueling the fires of division”. The party’s leader, Ed Davey, said the Trump administration was “attacking our democracy openly on social media, not covertly.”

“Starmer needs to show some courage and announce this today. We can no longer turn a blind eye to this blatant interference,” Davey said.

But No 10 said the relationship with the US remained “incredibly strong” despite differences of opinion on policing. There was no mention of whether the United States would be reprimanded in any diplomatic talks.

Nowak’s murder has been claimed by some as evidence of two-tiered policing in the United Kingdom; this was the claim that some groups of people were treated more harshly than others for ideological reasons.

X owner Elon Musk and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage are among those claiming Nowak’s death in Southampton is evidence of prejudice against white people. Both were accused of exploiting the teenager’s death.

British deputy prime minister David Lammy told Sky News on Friday that he welcomed the US government’s condolences to the Nowak family but did not recognize “this caricature of Britain as having a two-tier criminal justice system”.

Starmer accused Musk on Thursday of “interfering in our politics” and trying to create division.

Musk is a regular poster of ethno-nationalist content and a supporter of Restore Britain, the far-right party founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe. He posted about Nowak’s murder on the social media platform for weeks, often using far-right themes and talking points.

The police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct is reviewing the conduct of the officers who handcuffed Nowak after he fatally stabbed him.

Starmer met Nowak’s family in Downing Street on Thursday to discuss the response to the actions of Hampshire police, and later said he had promised to take “any action necessary to right the wrongs in this case”.