Sir Keir Starmer has accused Elon Musk of trying to “whip up division” in the UK over Henry Nowak’s murder, after the tech billionaire publicly commented on the case several times.
The X-owner has posted numerous times on his platform about the police response to the stabbing of the teenager in Southampton last year, criticising “how heinously Nowak was treated by the police in his dying moments”.
The prime minister has now accused Musk of “interfering” in UK politics, and said Britain needs to “assert who we are” as “reasonable, tolerant people”.
“We need to also assert who we are as a country, because Musk, again, has been interfering in our politics in the last few days, trying to whip up division, that is not who we are in Britain,” he said.
“In Britain, we are reasonable, tolerant people. When we have a terrible case like Henry’s case, Henry Nowak, we react calmly as his family have done.”
Musk has shared numerous posts about the murder, including a video from far-right activist Tommy Robinson, in which he claims Mr Nowak was “murdered by racist police policies, that target white people”.
He also wrote “it is this or death” in response to Rupert Lowe declaring a Restore UK government would put the student’s killer to death, “with the British people’s approval”.
Mr Nowak was ignored by police officers when he told them he had been stabbed, and instead died while being arrested after his killer, Vickrum Digwa, claimed he had been the victim of a racial attack.
Two people were arrested after violent protests erupted near where the 18-year-old was murdered amid an outcry over his treatment.
Sir Keir said “there are questions that need to be answered” over the police response to the murder, and added that the Independent Office for Police Conduct should be given space to “get on with their job” in investigating the case.
“I think it’s right that there may need to be changes and we shouldn’t shy away from that,” the Labour leader said.
“But we really need to listen to Henry’s family, because they’re asking us, as politicians, as leaders, not to use his case to whip up division, not to cause disturbances. We have to listen to them.
“They’re grieving, they’ve lost their son, and so everything I’ve tried to do in relation to this case has been grounded in what they must be going through.”
This is a breaking news story, more to follow…
