The murder of Henry Nowak is a watershed moment for this country. It marks a moment when we collectively, as a nation, need to take a step back and take a long, hard look at ourselves and ask what on Earth we have become.
Most of you will by now be painfully familiar with the dreadful events that took place on that night in Southampton last December. An ordinary 18-year-old lad, making his way home after a night out with mates, suddenly became the victim of a sustained and brutal knife attack. He was stabbed several times, chased down the street, and stabbed again with appalling ferocity.
That barbarous act was bad enough. But what compounded the horror, and shocked so many of us to the core, was the behaviour of the police officers who subsequently arrived on the scene. Because that help, when it came, was not what young Henry expected.
Far from assisting the dying teenager, the police’s focus from beginning to end was on the allegation made by the assailant’s brother that they had been “attacked and racially abused by a white guy”. In other words, an accusation of a racial slur was treated more seriously than an act of murder.
Henry was handcuffed as he lay bleeding. He died on the pavement. The last words he heard on this earth were not ones of comfort or calming reassurance, but of those police officers coldly reading him his rights. Those images are impossible to watch without feeling a profound sense of anger.
Many will remember the death of George Floyd in the US. Floyd’s death rightly provoked widespread debate about policing and race. Within days, politicians were taking the knee. Black Lives Matter demonstrations spread across Britain. National monuments were defaced and public institutions rushed to demonstrate their commitment to anti-racism.
Yet where was the national outcry over Henry Nowak? Where were the statements from political leaders, campaign groups and public bodies? Why was there such deafening silence?
For many people, this case reinforces a growing perception that Britain now operates according to a two-tier culture, where some groups receive greater protection than others. Make no mistake, this is not a perception that emerged overnight. It is the product of decades of political choices.
Over the past 20 years, Britain has experienced immigration on an unprecedented scale. Millions of people have come to our country. Large numbers have not integrated. In too many places, communities live parallel lives. Entire neighbourhoods have changed beyond recognition. And whenever concerns have been raised about these developments, critics have often been met with smears.
Alongside this has come the rise of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes, positive discrimination policies and an ever-expanding framework of hate speech regulations. The result has been a culture in which institutions appear increasingly preoccupied with questions of identity and group membership. The consequences are now visible.
The Telegraph’s Allison Pearson recently revealed an email from an experienced Hampshire police officer. According to his account, officers are encouraged to respond differently depending on the ethnic backgrounds of those involved. The same officer described a culture in which promotion was influenced by diversity targets rather than merit alone.
If such claims are true, they should concern every citizen, regardless of political persuasion. Policing depends on public confidence. The public must believe that officers enforce the law fairly and without fear or favour. The moment people begin to suspect that race, religion or background affect how they are treated, trust begins to erode.
Indeed, one of the most troubling aspects of modern policing may be the fear officers themselves now feel. Many appear more worried about being accused of racial bias than about exercising common sense and professional judgment. If that fear has become greater than the instinct to assist a critically injured victim, something surely has gone profoundly wrong.
We need urgent action.
First, the Independent Office for Police Conduct must complete its investigation into Henry’s death swiftly and transparently. Every aspect of the officers’ conduct should be examined.
Secondly, I wrote yesterday to the Attorney General, Lord Hermer, requesting a review of the sentence given to the killer, which fell below the recommended minimum for such a sustained, aggressive, murderous assault. He was jailed for life for a minimum of 21 years. In my view, his crime merits a whole-life tariff.
Above all, however, Britain needs to undergo a broader cultural change. We must end the anti-white prejudice that has been allowed to fester. We must assert, without apology, that White lives matter too. DEI initiatives and positive discrimination must be scrapped. No ifs, no buts.
If we fail to address these concerns, mistrust will deepen. Communities will grow further apart. Confidence in public institutions will continue to decline.
But change requires leadership. It requires guts. Sadly, this government lacks both. Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, assured the Commons yesterday that she “does not stand for deferential treatment”. But without action these are just weak words.
Unfortunately, the Labour Party is simply unable to confront uncomfortable truths about race and diversity. These issues are too deeply ingrained in the party’s institutional culture.
Within the first 100 days of a Reform UK government, we will pass the Equal Treatment Act to ban Police Race Action Plans and DEI practices in the police. It would also abolish the religious exemption to carry deadly weapons.
My thoughts remain with Henry Nowak’s family. No family should have to endure such a loss, and no victim should be treated in the way he was.
This case should be a wake-up call, one that shows something has gone deeply wrong with our national culture. We need root and branch cultural change that reestablishes a simple principle: every citizen, regardless of race, religion or background, must be treated equally before the law.
Without it, frankly, I dread to think where this country will be in a few years’ time.
Most of you will by now be painfully familiar with the dreadful events that took place on that night in Southampton last December. An ordinary 18-year-old lad, making his way home after a night out with mates, suddenly became the victim of a sustained and brutal knife attack. He was stabbed several times, chased down the street, and stabbed again with appalling ferocity.
That barbarous act was bad enough. But what compounded the horror, and shocked so many of us to the core, was the behaviour of the police officers who subsequently arrived on the scene. Because that help, when it came, was not what young Henry expected.
Far from assisting the dying teenager, the police’s focus from beginning to end was on the allegation made by the assailant’s brother that they had been “attacked and racially abused by a white guy”. In other words, an accusation of a racial slur was treated more seriously than an act of murder.
Henry was handcuffed as he lay bleeding. He died on the pavement. The last words he heard on this earth were not ones of comfort or calming reassurance, but of those police officers coldly reading him his rights. Those images are impossible to watch without feeling a profound sense of anger.
Many will remember the death of George Floyd in the US. Floyd’s death rightly provoked widespread debate about policing and race. Within days, politicians were taking the knee. Black Lives Matter demonstrations spread across Britain. National monuments were defaced and public institutions rushed to demonstrate their commitment to anti-racism.
Yet where was the national outcry over Henry Nowak? Where were the statements from political leaders, campaign groups and public bodies? Why was there such deafening silence?
For many people, this case reinforces a growing perception that Britain now operates according to a two-tier culture, where some groups receive greater protection than others. Make no mistake, this is not a perception that emerged overnight. It is the product of decades of political choices.
Over the past 20 years, Britain has experienced immigration on an unprecedented scale. Millions of people have come to our country. Large numbers have not integrated. In too many places, communities live parallel lives. Entire neighbourhoods have changed beyond recognition. And whenever concerns have been raised about these developments, critics have often been met with smears.
Alongside this has come the rise of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes, positive discrimination policies and an ever-expanding framework of hate speech regulations. The result has been a culture in which institutions appear increasingly preoccupied with questions of identity and group membership. The consequences are now visible.
The Telegraph’s Allison Pearson recently revealed an email from an experienced Hampshire police officer. According to his account, officers are encouraged to respond differently depending on the ethnic backgrounds of those involved. The same officer described a culture in which promotion was influenced by diversity targets rather than merit alone.
If such claims are true, they should concern every citizen, regardless of political persuasion. Policing depends on public confidence. The public must believe that officers enforce the law fairly and without fear or favour. The moment people begin to suspect that race, religion or background affect how they are treated, trust begins to erode.
Indeed, one of the most troubling aspects of modern policing may be the fear officers themselves now feel. Many appear more worried about being accused of racial bias than about exercising common sense and professional judgment. If that fear has become greater than the instinct to assist a critically injured victim, something surely has gone profoundly wrong.
We need urgent action.
First, the Independent Office for Police Conduct must complete its investigation into Henry’s death swiftly and transparently. Every aspect of the officers’ conduct should be examined.
Secondly, I wrote yesterday to the Attorney General, Lord Hermer, requesting a review of the sentence given to the killer, which fell below the recommended minimum for such a sustained, aggressive, murderous assault. He was jailed for life for a minimum of 21 years. In my view, his crime merits a whole-life tariff.
Above all, however, Britain needs to undergo a broader cultural change. We must end the anti-white prejudice that has been allowed to fester. We must assert, without apology, that White lives matter too. DEI initiatives and positive discrimination must be scrapped. No ifs, no buts.
If we fail to address these concerns, mistrust will deepen. Communities will grow further apart. Confidence in public institutions will continue to decline.
But change requires leadership. It requires guts. Sadly, this government lacks both. Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, assured the Commons yesterday that she “does not stand for deferential treatment”. But without action these are just weak words.
Unfortunately, the Labour Party is simply unable to confront uncomfortable truths about race and diversity. These issues are too deeply ingrained in the party’s institutional culture.
Within the first 100 days of a Reform UK government, we will pass the Equal Treatment Act to ban Police Race Action Plans and DEI practices in the police. It would also abolish the religious exemption to carry deadly weapons.
My thoughts remain with Henry Nowak’s family. No family should have to endure such a loss, and no victim should be treated in the way he was.
This case should be a wake-up call, one that shows something has gone deeply wrong with our national culture. We need root and branch cultural change that reestablishes a simple principle: every citizen, regardless of race, religion or background, must be treated equally before the law.
Without it, frankly, I dread to think where this country will be in a few years’ time.
(This is a slightly edited version of an article published in the Daily Telegraph on 2nd June.)
