The murder of Henry Nowak is a ‘seminal moment’ in the fight against racism, Kemi Badenoch says.
The Tory leader compared the stabbing of the 18-year-old university student to the murder of Stephen Lawrence 33 years ago.
Writing for this newspaper, Mrs Badenoch says, just like Stephen’s shocking killing in 1993, Henry’s death at the hands of an assailant who lied about claims of racism needs to be a turning point.
She spoke amid fury over horrifying footage of Henry being handcuffed by officers as he lay dying, telling them he had been stabbed and uttering his last words: ‘I can’t breathe.’
In scenes which have prompted outrage across the country, the finance student was arrested on a Southampton street last December after being attacked by knife-obsessed Sikh Vickrum Digwa, 23, who then pretended he was the victim.
The distressing footage showed bungling officers detaining the fatally injured teenager, pinning him to the ground as he gasped ‘I’ve been stabbed’ to an officer who scoffed: ‘Don’t think you have, mate.’
One of the officers involved in the arrest has resigned from Hampshire Police amid a torrent of abuse. Keir Starmer said the ‘harrowing’ images had made him ‘feel sick’, and police had ‘serious questions’ to answer.
An estimated 1,000 protesters last night vented their anger outside Southampton police station, where far-Right agitator Tommy Robinson gave a speech. Some protesters held placards reading ‘Save our kids’, while others carried pictures of Henry with the caption, ‘I can’t breathe’.
Henry Nowak died at the age of just 18 after being fatally stabbed in Southampton in December 2025 by a knife-obsessed Sikh
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has now compared the killing to that of Stephen Lawrence, who died 33 years ago after being attacked at a bus stop
Mrs Badenoch wrote: ‘Henry’s murder and the police’s botched response must be a seminal moment for Britain on a par with the murder of Stephen Lawrence’
They then walked to near where Henry was killed, and chairs, bricks, cans and flares were thrown at police in riot gear.
Mrs Badenoch writes today: ‘Henry’s murder and the police’s botched response must be a seminal moment for Britain on a par with the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the black teenager killed in 1993, which precipitated the Macpherson Report six years later, which found the Metropolitan Police to be ‘institutionally racist’.
‘Stephen’s murder forced the country to confront the intolerable and say: “This is not who we are.” Yet now we are going backwards – because of a pernicious identity politics.’
Describing the murder as ‘profoundly disturbing’, she said the ‘police response exposed devastating failures’.
On Monday, Digwa was ordered to serve at least 21 years in jail for stabbing Henry with an eight-inch ceremonial dagger.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the police response showed that an ‘accusation of a racial slur was treated more seriously than an act of murder’.
He likened Henry’s final moments to those of George Floyd who similarly cried ‘I can’t breathe’ before his death in the US in 2020, which led to worldwide Black Lives Matter protests.
Mr Farage said: ‘Remember the reaction to [George Floyd] and the way the police behaved?
‘Within a few days Keir Starmer was taking the knee, Black Lives Matter, it exploded all over the country, Churchill’s statue was defaced, the Cenotaph was vandalised.
‘And yet what has the public reaction been from our leaders and politicians and indeed to be frank much of the media to this? Silence, absolute silence.
‘Proof, if ever there was any, that we’re living in a two-tier culture in this country where the rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities.’
Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 21 years in prison for the murder of Mr Nowak
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said today the police response showed that an ‘accusation of a racial slur was treated more seriously than an act of murder’
Digwa was carrying two traditional knives – a small kirpan around his neck and the longer blade he used to stab his victim.
Yesterday Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she would give ‘serious consideration’ as to whether rules on religious exemption for carrying a blade should be reviewed, but she declined to commit to a formal review.
The police watchdog is expected to report on the case within the next three months, but the Daily Mail has learnt the officers involved are not suspected of any wrongdoing.
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None of the arresting officers has been issued with misconduct notices and the Independent Office for Police Conduct is treating them as witnesses after a six-month inquiry.
Digwa’s family said yesterday they wished they could ‘turn back time’ as they apologised to Henry’s loved ones and the Sikh community for ‘bringing them into disrepute’.
They added: ‘We love Vickrum. We will continue to love him.’
Digwa’s mother Kiran Kaur, 53, appeared alongside him in the dock at Southampton Crown Court after she tried to hide the murder weapon. She will be sentenced next month.
The killer appeared in court again yesterday to face weapons charges. Digwa, his father Moga Singh, 52, and brother Gurpreet Digwa, 27, face a combined 22 charges in relation to a haul of weapons found at their home in Southampton, including a machete, knuckledusters, a flick knife, an extendable baton and swords.
The weapons were seized on December 4, the day after Henry was stabbed to death.
Yesterday’s proceedings were adjourned until a further hearing on July 9. Singh and Gurpreet Digwa were released on unconditional bail.
