UK officials accuse JD Vance of stoking division over Nowak murder

British officials have accused Vice President JD Vance of turning the murder of Henry Nowak into a political weapon after the American vice president linked the case to a “mass invasion of migrants” and what he called “civilizational decline.” The dispute has pushed a grim criminal case in southern England into the center of a wider fight over immigration, policing and political trust.

Vance posted on X on June 5, saying Nowak would be alive today if European elites had stood up to that force. His comments came after Vickrum Digwa, a 23-year-old Sikh man, was sentenced on Monday to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years for killing the 18-year-old student in Southampton in December 2025.

The case drew national anger after police bodycam footage showed Nowak lying on the street saying, “I’ve been stabbed” and “I can’t breathe,” while an officer replied, “I don’t think you have, mate.” Officers had initially appeared to accept Digwa’s false claim that he had been the victim of a racist attack, a detail that has fueled sharp questions about how race allegations shaped the police response.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there were “serious questions” about how accusations of racism influenced the handling of the case, and an independent investigation is underway into police conduct. His spokesperson said the Nowak family did not want the death to be used to create further division or hatred, and urged politics to bring people together. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told Parliament on June 2 that “everyone is equal before the law,” calling the footage disturbing and tragic and warning against exploiting the case for political gain.

Nowak’s father said the treatment of his dying son was “inhumane and degrading,” while also urging that the death not be used to create further division, hatred or tension. The killing has intensified Britain’s argument over so-called two-tier policing, a claim amplified by Nigel Farage and Elon Musk, who have both pushed the view that police are more likely to treat ethnic minorities favorably for fear of being called racist.

Tension spilled into the street outside Southampton police station on June 2, where a protest of a few hundred people included chants of “I can’t breathe.” As the sentencing, bodycam release and political fallout collide, British officials are casting Vance’s intervention as inflammatory rhetoric, not sober commentary on justice.