Summary

Media caption,
Police bodycam shows officers handcuffing Henry Nowak as he lay dying
  1. Home secretary again rejects description of 'two-tier policing'published at 14:54 BST

    Sammy Wilson, an MP with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), says that the UK has reached the stage where police "arrest a dying man because they're afraid of being accused of racism by his murderer".

    He calls this "two-tier policing" which he says undermines police credibility.

    Responding to this criticism, Home Secretary Mahmood says there can "be no suggestion of two-tier policing" and that "no one would ever stand for that".

    The police "have to make quick decisions" every single day "in very difficult circumstances", she adds, and get things right "in the vast majority of cases".

    But when things do go wrong, the circumstances should be investigated and lessons learned, she says.

    Sammy Wilson stands in the House of CommonsImage source, Parliament TV
  2. Sikh community feels 'sheer horror' of violent killing, says Labour MPpublished at 14:49 BST

    Gurinder Singh Josan addressing the CommonsImage source, Parliament TV

    Labour MP Gurinder Singh Josan, who is Sikh, says that he wears the Five Ks every day as part of his religious observance.

    • For context, some practising Sikhs wear five symbols – called the Five Ks - to show their devotion to Sikhism. That includes a sacred knife called a kirpan, which practising Sikhs can wear close to the body under current legislation

    "As a Sikh, I really struggle to express the feelings of sheer horror that this case has generated within me, my family and my friends," he says.

    Josan says Henry's murder should be "condemned in its entirety", and says his family has shown "incredible dignity" in their grief.

    "There is simply no religious justification for his actions," he says, adding that "that is the sentiment that is shared universally across the Sikh community".

  3. Reform's Robert Jenrick suggests police officer should be prosecuted for 'dereliction of duty'published at 14:33 BST

    Robert Jenrick addressing the CommonsImage source, Parliament TV

    Reform UK's Robert Jenrick says the officer who handcuffed Henry Nowak as he lay dying should be prosecuted for a "total dereliction of duty".

    He suggests some officers react in this way because of "elevated perceptions of ethnic minority communities over the safety of white British people".

    Jenrick describes this as a "sickness" and asks if the home secretary will return to "equality before the law for all".

    In response, Mahmood says this is not a moment to pit "white Britons against non-white Britons", and it would be inappropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the watchdog investigation.

    Mahmood adds that all are equal before the law of the land; all should support that principle, she says, and not use it to pit citizens against one another.

  4. Sikh MP condemns 'galling' political scapegoating over murderpublished at 14:26 BST

    Tanmanjeet Singh Dhes addressing the CommonsImage source, Parliament TV

    We're still following the ongoing debate in the Commons in response to the home secretary's address.

    Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Labour MP for Slough - who is Sikh - says that the indignity of Henry Nowak's final moments "should never happen again".

    He says it's "very galling" that Reform UK and the Restore Party have "decided to politicise people's pain" by "attacking" the Sikh community for wearing ceremonial kirpan knives, even though that wasn't the kind of knife used in the attack.

    Reform has "decided to scapegoat and throw under the bus an entire community", Dhesi says, and he asks for assurances for Sikhs in the UK who are "horrified and ashamed of this brutal murder".

    In response, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says that "religious freedom is a very important principle" and that the UK is "not a country that collectively punishes an entire group of people for the actions of individuals".

  5. Recap: Home Secretary Mahmood addresses 'horrifying' murder of Henry Nowak in Commonspublished at 14:18 BST

    Screen grab of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood issuing a statement in the House of Commons following the murder of Henry Nowak. Picture date: Tuesday June 2, 2026. PImage source, Parliament TV

    Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has just addressed the Commons on the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was stabbed multiple times by Vickrum Digwa, 23.

    She described the murder as a "horrifying" and "evil" act, describing what Nowak’s family has gone through as "unimaginable".

    Here's what else she said:

    • Mahmood described bodycam footage of officers handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying as "disturbing and tragic"
    • She said the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will be "encouraged" to find the truth and "if necessary, ensure there are consequences"
    • The home secretary said there had been a "dangerous undercurrent" in the reaction to the murder, which has led to a misidentified police officer being forced to relocate for his safety
    • On knife crime, she says the government is "committed to halving knife crime in this decade", and that Nowak’s murder shows "clearly we must do more"
    • She said that this is not a case about Sikhism or racism, but about murder, adding that "we do not believe in collective punishment in this country"

    Mahmood added that Digwa's mother has also been convicted of assisting an offender, while the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised further charges against other members of his family.

  6. Police officers 'failed Henry', says Liberal Democrat MPpublished at 14:16 BST

    Max Wilkinson addresses CommonsImage source, Parliament TV

    Liberal Democrat Max Wilkinson says police officers work "under high stress" and must make "split-second decisions".

    But the ones involved in this case "made a clear and terrible mistake" and their decision is "one that failed Henry", says Wilkinson.

    He says the investigation must make sure recommendations are made "so nothing like this can happen again".

    Wilkinson says the right to practice one's faith "cannot be contingent upon the colour of any individual's skin".

    He says Digwa "betrayed his faith" - and reminds the House that Henry's father has said that he does not want his son's death to be used to create "further hatred, division or tension".

  7. Southampton 'horrified' by murder, says local MP, who calls for action on UK's 'knife problem'published at 14:14 BST

    Darren Paffey addressing CommonsImage source, Parliament TV

    Labour MP for Southampton Itchen Darren Paffey says Henry Nowak's murder has "horrified" the city.

    He says the bodycam footage is "heartbreaking and infuriating", that Nowak "posed no threat that would warrant being handcuffed" and yet he was "treated as a criminal based on the lies of his murderer".

    Paffey says there is a "knife problem" in this country and asks whether Mahmood will clarify a set of "tough and consistent" knife laws and commit resources to enforce them.

    He also asks her to guarantee that the IOPC will have the resources, authority and independence it needs to carry out a "full, fearless and transparent investigation" - Mahmood says it does, and that the IOPC intends to report back in the next three months.

    Mahmood acknowledges that Paffey is "right" about the knife crime problem and says that is why the government has launched its knife crime action plan.

  8. Mahmood: Every citizen should be treated equally before the lawpublished at 14:10 BST

    Mahmood mentions the case of the Southport attack and says that recommendations following the incident have been made and the government will respond fully in due course.

    She continues that the government will always ensure that police make sure every citizen is treated equally before the law.

    "I condemn every type of differential treatment. I do not stand for it," she adds, and says it is absolutely vital that message is heard loud and clear across the country.

  9. 'We cannot allow the colour of someone's skin to be a consideration' - shadow home secretarypublished at 14:05 BST

    Chris Philp speaking in the CommonsImage source, Parliament TV

    Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp says Henry Nowak's family have suffered an "unimaginable loss".

    On arriving at the scene, Philp goes on, the police "appeared more concerned with the accusation of racism" than they were in helping Henry.

    Nowak told police at the scene that he could not breathe nine times and that he had been stabbed four times, Philp reminds the House.

    "I don't think you have mate," the shadow home secretary says, quoting the officer's reply to Henry.

    Philp says the officers "who should have worked to save him instead handcuffed him and enquired about the welfare of his killer standing just inches away".

    He urges the IPOC to "urgently and transparently" report how police were "more concerned with the accusation of racism" than they were "in helping a dying man".

    Philp adds: "We cannot allow the colour of someone's skin to be a consideration in how the police or other public service treat people."

  10. Home secretary takes up challenge in memory of Henry Nowakpublished at 14:02 BST

    We cannot take away from the pain of Nowak's family, Mahmood says, and their loss will "last forever".

    The home secretary concludes her statement with the words of the Nowak family that "no other family should experience the heartbreak and horror of losing a child to knife crime".

    "Let that be a challenge to us all," she says, calling it the "very least" that can be done to honour the memory of Henry Nowak.

  11. Mahmood: This is not a case about racism, it's about murderpublished at 14:01 BST

    Mahmood says that this is not a case about Sikhism or racism, but this is a case about a murder.

    The home secretary adds that we cannot allow this case to turn communities against one another.

    "We do not believe in collective punishment in this country," she says. "Instead, we stand together against an act of pure evil."

  12. Mahmood pledges to tackle knife crime in the UKpublished at 13:58 BST

    Mahmood acknowledges calls from Henry Nowak's family for action to address knife crime in the UK.

    She says the government "is committed to halving knife crime in this decade", and says that since the start of this parliament knife crime has fallen by 10%, while knife homicides are down 27% - their "lowest level in a decade".

    Nowak's murder shows that "clearly we must do more", Mahmood says.

    In response to calls to tighten the right of the Sikh community to carry ceremonial knives, Mahmood adds: "Let me be clear, carrying a knife for the purpose of religious observance is one thing," but using it is "quite another".

    Home Secretary Mahmood peaking in the CommonsImage source, Parliament TV
  13. Police officer unrelated to case has been misidentified and forced to relocate - home secretarypublished at 13:57 BST

    Mahmood says she has seen a "dangerous undercurrent" in reaction to "this awful crime", referring to threats against police officers.

    She adds that a police officer unrelated to the Nowak case has been misidentified and forced to relocate in order to protect him and his family.

    "Misinformation and inflammatory commentary is making a dreadful situation even worse. We must condemn it," Mahmood says.

  14. Watchdog will be equipped to 'find the truth', says Mahmoodpublished at 13:53 BST

    The home secretary says Henry Nowak's family has called on her to ensure the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has the resources, authority and independence to carry out an investigation.

    "I confirm I will be doing so," Mahmood continues.

    The IOPC will be equipped and encouraged "to find the truth".

  15. Mahmood: Bodycam footage is disturbing and tragicpublished at 13:52 BST

    Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood speaking in the CommonsImage source, Parliament TV

    Henry Nowak's family deserve answers, Mahmood says.

    She says that the bodycam footage that was released yesterday - showing officers handcuffing Henry Nowak as he lay dying - is without question a "disturbing and tragic thing to see".

    She says people are rightly asking questions about how the situation was handled and shocked by Henry's words: "I can't breathe."

  16. Further charges authorised against Digwa family members - home secretarypublished at 13:49 BST

    Mahmood says that Vickrum Digwa's mother has also been convicted of assisting an offender, and is due to be sentenced on 17 July, while Crown Prosecution Services has authorised further charges against other members of the attacker's family.

    "With further sentencing and possible charges pending we must be cautious still in what we say about this case," she says.

  17. Murder of Henry Nowak a 'horrifying and evil' act, Mahmood sayspublished at 13:47 BST

    Mahmood begins by saying that Henry Nowak was a first-year student "with his life ahead of him", adding he was "kind" and "hardworking".

    She calls his murder a "horrifying" and "evil" act, and that she believes the thoughts of the whole house are with his family.

    "What they have been through is unimaginable," she says.

  18. Home secretary speaking in Commons - watch and follow livepublished at 13:42 BST
    Breaking

    Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood speaking in the CommonsImage source, Parliament TV

    Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is now making a statement in the House of Commons on the murder of Henry Nowak - watch live above.

    Stay with us for the key updates.

  19. Starmer spoke to cabinet about 'senselessness' of Nowak murderpublished at 13:34 BST

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken to his cabinet about the "harrowing nature" of Henry Nowak's death.

    A spokesman for the PM says it is clear that "the impact of Henry’s murder goes beyond his family and the local community and his friends to ripple out across the country".

    He says that Starmer addressed the "senselessness of the murder and its impact" with cabinet on Tuesday morning.

    The PM has made it very clear that he expects the inquiry to be carried out as quickly as possible and for answers to be delivered, the spokesman adds.

    He also says engagement with the Sikh community is ongoing.

  20. Police 'must treat everyone equally regardless of ethnicity' - Downing Streetpublished at 13:20 BST

    Downing Street has said the police “must treat everyone equally regardless of ethnicity”, following the case of Henry Nowak, but insists “there's no such thing as two-tier policing.”

    The prime minister’s official spokesperson said it was “absolutely right” that the IOPC investigation looks at the police response, and this “must be done as quickly as possible and make sure answers are delivered.”

    “It’s an awful, shocking and harrowing case that’s clearly affected not just the family of Henry Nowak and the community around him but the nation as well.”

    It is understood the prime minister has watched the footage several times.

    Downing Street said the government was not looking at the rules around the exception of ceremonial knives on religious grounds.

    The spokesperson said there are "longstanding legal protections in place" for Sikhs, but the laws are very clear that "any bladed item used to threaten or harm others are illegal."