UK deputy PM told JD Vance his comments on murdered British student were 'wrong'

UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy publicly confronted US Vice President JD Vance, stating his recent comments blaming immigration for the murder of British student Henry Nowak were "wrong." Vance had posted on social media that Nowak's death reflected failures in immigration policies and called for "righteous anger," appearing to link the incident to a "mass invasion of migrants."

The confrontation occurred during a "robust" phone call on Saturday, June 6, 2026, where Lammy emphasized that Nowak's killer, Vickrum Digwa, was British and the incident had "nothing to do with mass migration." Eighteen-year-old Henry Nowak was fatally stabbed in Southampton in December, with his killer falsely claiming to police that Nowak had racially assaulted him.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office also condemned Vance's remarks, rejecting attempts to interfere in UK democracy and stir up division. The Nowak family similarly requested that their son's tragic death not be exploited to fuel hatred or social tensions.