David Lammy has disclosed that he recently communicated with JD Vance to express his disagreement with the US Vice President’s controversial statements regarding the murder of Henry Nowak.
On Friday, Mr. Vance attributed part of the blame for the 18-year-old’s tragic death to what he described as a “mass invasion of migrants,” and called for “righteous anger” over the incident.
Furthermore, Vance claimed that Mr. Nowak’s death was symbolic of the decline of civilization, marking the latest comment from Donald Trump’s administration concerning the student’s murder.
Henry Nowak was left in handcuffs by police officers who ignored his cries for help after he had been stabbed. This occurred when his attacker, Vickrum Digwa, falsely alleged that he was the victim of a racist assault.
In response to Mr. Vance’s incendiary social media comments on Friday, Downing Street issued a strong rebuttal. Meanwhile, David Lammy confirmed that during his conversation on Saturday, he reiterated the UK Government’s opposition to Vance’s “unhelpful” remarks.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr. Lammy stated, “I spoke to the Vice President yesterday, and I wanted to emphasize several important points.”
The Deputy Prime Minister said he had told Mr Vance that Britain’s ‘democratic process is working well’ as he pointed to ongoing investigations into the police’s handling of the case, as well as a review of Digwa’s sentence and a rethink of police guidance on race issues.
Mr Lammy also said he voiced his disagreement with the vice president’s comments, adding: ‘This has got nothing to do with mass migration. This young man (Digwa) was a Brit. Let’s be clear about that.’
David Lammy revealed he has spoken to JD Vance to tell the US vice president he’s ‘wrong’ following his explosive comments on Henry Nowak’s murder
Mr Vance on Friday partly blamed the 18-year-old’s death on the ‘mass invasion of migrants’ and said there should be ‘righteous anger’ at the case
‘I said, ‘Look, Mr Vice President, you’re wrong about this,’ the Deputy PM added.
‘And it’s also the case that actually murder is coming down in the United Kingdom. So we had an agreeable conversation. But we disagree.’
Asked whether he had given Mr Vance a ticking-off, Mr Lammy said: ‘We had an agreeable conversation because we have got a relationship,
‘But I wanted to make it clear to him that I disagree with some of the facts that he was asserting and to present the facts to him.’
Mr Lammy said Mr Vance ‘has a longstanding concern about what he calls Western values, he actually was at pains to say, both in the United States and in here in Europe, which he believes are under attack’.
He added that they ‘disagree on that’ and that they ended the conversation ‘very amicably, talked about when we’re next going to see each other.’
Mr Lammy continued: ‘I also urged him that it’s not helpful to tweet in this way, partly because of what the Nowak family have asked for and reminded him about their desire not to make this an issue of division and hatred, but to make this an issue of common sense.’
In a 200-word post on X on Friday, Mr Vance said Mr Nowak ‘should still be alive today’
He added: ‘He would be if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it.’
‘Henry was far from the first to so needlessly lose his life, and I fear he won’t be the last.
‘Each time a life like his is lost, the proper response – the only response – is righteous anger.
‘One of the most important things the Trump administration has proven to the world is that stopping the flow of mass migration and defending national sovereignty is a matter of political will and leadership.
‘Anything else is an excuse.’
In response to Mr Vance’s comments, Downing Street hit out at ‘people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets’.
A No10 spokesperson said: ‘In recent days we have seen people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets.
‘The Nowak family are grieving after Henry’s horrific murder. They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes.
‘Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country.’
Mr Vance’s intervention came after the US State Department linked ‘two-tier policing’ to Mr Nowak’s death.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s department said: ‘Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline.
‘They must be rejected across the West. The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.’
Downing Street rejected ‘any suggestion of two-tier policing across the United Kingdom’.
Digwa was given a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years in prison for stabbing Mr Nowak with a ceremonial knife with a 21cm blade, which he carried as part of his Sikh religion.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating Hampshire Police’s response in Mr Nowak’s case.
