Lammy tells Vance he is wrong about Henry Nowak murder

UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has informed US Vice-President JD Vance that he was incorrect to attribute the murder of British teenager Henry Nowak to mass migration. Lammy stated he spoke to Vance by phone to assert that the UK's democratic process was functioning correctly and that the crime was unrelated to migration. This exchange followed a post by Vance on X, which suggested Nowak would be alive if European elites had resisted migration. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also criticised European nations regarding migration during a D-Day anniversary speech in France. Lammy emphasised that the victim was British and rejected the notion of institutional racism in the UK police, while acknowledging the need for a review of police race guidance due to data disproportionality.

The phone call occurred after Vance posted on X that Nowak would be alive if European elites had stood their ground against the "politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants". Lammy told Sky News that he warned the Vice-President that his commentary was "not helpful" and insisted the UK's democratic mechanisms were working as intended. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously suggested the US was attempting to interfere in British democracy following these remarks.

Lammy clarified that the victim, Henry Nowak, was British and that the crime was unrelated to migration. He noted that a conviction had been secured, with separate investigations underway by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the police inspectorate, and that the Attorney General was reviewing the sentencing. Lammy emphasised that the appropriate response to the tragedy was "meaningful reform" rather than anger, while confirming he remains "colleagues and friends" with Vance.

During a speech in Normandy on the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also criticised European migration policies, describing migrant arrivals as an "invasion". Lammy addressed the context of the crime, stating that murder rates were coming down in the UK and that the incident had "nothing to do with mass migration". He rejected the idea that anger was the sole appropriate response, urging a focus on the actions flowing from the tragedy.

Lammy rejected the label of "institutional racism" for the UK police today, stating the UK had "moved on from that period" associated with the Stephen Lawrence era. However, he acknowledged disproportionality in arrest and prosecution data across various communities, including black, Muslim, and Gypsy Roma, Traveller communities. He argued that this complexity warranted a "considered measured careful review" of police race guidance rather than immediate condemnation.