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JD Vance criticised after linking Henry Nowak's murder to migration

UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy says the US vice president was wrong to connect the killing to migration, arguing the case had no link to mass immigration

Published June 07, 2026
JD Vance criticised after linking Henry Nowak's murder to migration
JD Vance criticised after linking Henry Nowak's murder to migration

UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy disagreed with JD Vance's recent remarks over British student Henry Nowak's murder.

The criticism began after the U.S. vice president, JD Vance, linked his murder with "migration issues."

Vance blamed the death of the 18-year-old British student, who was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa last year, on the "mass invasion of migrants" and said the "only response" was "righteous anger."

Posting comments on X on Friday, Vance said Nowak had died "the same way a civilization dies: abandoned and handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him."

JD Vance criticised after linking Henry Nowak's murder to migration

While in a recent interview, UK Deputy PM Lammy criticized his remarks and said that the killer was British, and he had spoken to Vance, telling him that he was wrong and it "has got nothing to do with mass migration."

JD Vance criticised after linking Henry Nowak's murder to migration

Lammy said they both had an "agreeable" conversation, while adding he did not agree with Vance's "caricature" of Western civilization and its perceived decline.

As reported by BBC, the dispute began after Nowak's murderer, Vickrum Digwa, falsely claimed he had been racially abused and had acted in self-defense after murdering Nowak in Southampton in December last year.

Footage showed police handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying after Digwa falsely claimed to officers he was the victim of a racist attack.

Digwa, who was born in the UK, was jailed for life for murdering Nowak with a blade he claimed he was carrying for religious reasons linked to his Sikh faith.

The killing ignited a fierce debate about policing and knife laws in the UK, with violent protests erupting in Southampton.

Additionally, the killing had been as "tragic as it is enraging," and Nowak, Vance said, would still be alive today "if the last few generations of European elites had stood their ground against the politics of self-hatred and the mass invasion of migrants."

On the contrary, Lammy said we should avoid connecting the matter with another view, as Nowak's family had "called for calm."

It comes as recently Henry Nowak's father, Mark, had appealed in a statement outside the court following the sentencing, saying, "We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension."

Hafsa Naeem Baig
Hafsa Naeem is an entertainment reporter specialising in K-dramas, films, and celebrity-driven stories. She explores global content trends and audience engagement, delivering accessible coverage that captures the emotional and cultural impact of entertainment across diverse viewership.