The Huffington Post
Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage ignored MPs’ calls for him to condemn the violence which erupted at a protest over the murder of Henry Nowa k. The 18-year-old student was stabbed repeatedly by Vickrum Digwa, who then falsely told the police that he had been the victim of racism. Henry himself was handcuffed and arrested while he lay dying on the ground, despite telling officers he could not breathe and had been stabbed. Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years on Monday at Southampton Crown Court. Farage claimed on Tuesday that the tragedy was proof of “two-tier policing” in the UK and called for the public to respond with “pure cold rage”. Hours later, a “justice for Henry” protest erupted outside Southampton police station, attended by far-right activists Tommy Robinson and Laurence Fox. Police were targeted with missiles as angry demonstrators criticised “two-tier policing” in the UK. The violence came despite direct pleas from Henry’s family, who have called for his death not to be used for political point-scoring or further division. During Wednesday’s prime minister’s questions, Farage used his platform to again insist Brits are living under “two-tier policing”. He told Keir Starmer : “The anger that you saw spilling out in Southampton last night...” MPs immediately started shouting that Farage had “incited” that violence, and called on him to condemn it – but he resumed: “And which is in danger of getting considerably worse...” The calls for him to “condemn it” got louder and almost drowned out the MP for Clacton. But Farage ignored them: “If the public lose trust in being treated fairly by the police, can he take some action and end this divisive practice of two-tier policing, and make sure all British citizens are treated the same?” Starmer replied: “I don’t believe there is two-tier policing in this country. I’m really shocked that he pretends to have respect for Henry’s family and then acts in this way. “They are a grieving family.” As Farage scoffed, some MPs could be heard criticising the Reform UK leader for smiling. The PM continued: “They have asked us not to respond in the way the leader of Reform has responded. “They’ve asked us not to. They have lost their son in the most appalling circumstances. They make a simple plea of us as human beings to please not exploit that. “That is their plea to us. And we all need to reflect on those words of Henry’s father. My response, and the response of others to be fair, have been focused on the lessons to be learned so we can deliver justice. “His response has been to appeal for rage. Rage! That’s his response to a father who lost his son and asked for that not to happen. “Exploiting this tragedy to create grievance and division, but to do it when the family are expressly saying, ‘please don’t’, is unforgivable.” MPs murmured in agreement to that, while Starmer pointed at Farage and said: “It shows exactly who he is.” The Commons cheered in response to that, while some still shouted at the Reform leader for “laughing”. Reform leader Nigel Farage asks the PM to end the "divisive practise of two-tier policing" The PM says he doesn't believe there's two-tier policing and Farage "pretends to have respect" for the family of Henry Nowak #PMQs https://t.co/lDUYT8cLGt pic.twitter.com/HjOHpV7yXG — BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) June 3, 2026 Subscribe to Commons People , the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... Keir Starmer Launches Direct Attack On Nigel Farage's Call For 'Rage' After Henry Nowak Murder Keir Starmer Accuses Nigel Farage Of 'Whipping Up' Division Over Henry Nowak Murder Farage Torn Apart For 'Dangerous And Un-British' Response To Henry Nowak's Murder
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