Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejects criticism from the US that the UK operates “two-tier policing” following the murder of teenager Henry Nowak. Multiple outlets report that the US State Department suggested the manner in which UK police handled the case showed a divide in how policing is applied. Downing Street dismisses the allegation, and the Lib Dems call it “flagrant foreign interference,” according to one report.
Starmer says the UK should still ask “difficult questions” about the police response, while rejecting the specific claim of “two-tier policing.” The Guardian reports that police action in the case is under review. It states that Nowak was handcuffed while dying from stab wounds after the attacker, Vickrum Digwa, had falsely accused him of racist abuse. Digwa is reported to have been convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years.
Across coverage, Starmer’s position is that concerns can be addressed through scrutiny and review without accepting the US framing. The dispute centers on the interpretation of police conduct rather than the underlying criminal conviction.
