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.”
Sir Keir met with Mr Nowak’s family on Thursday at No 10 Downing Street. A spokesperson said the family members who attended were Mr Nowak’s mother, father and stepmother.
After the meeting, Sir Keir said: “I was profoundly humbled to meet Henry Nowak’s family, Mark, Lucy and Katie, in Downing Street this afternoon, and to see their dignity and strength in the face of unimaginable pain.
“I was moved to learn more about Henry – his kindness, his warmth, and his love of football – and am grateful to his family. There is no doubt he had a bright future ahead of him, a future cruelly stolen from him in appalling circumstances.
“Henry deserves a legacy that goes beyond this awful tragedy, and I am committed to making that happen.
“There are difficult questions that need to be answered about the way the police handled Henry’s murder. The Independent Office for Police Conduct are investigating. We will be unflinching in taking whatever action is required to right the wrongs in this case.”
Mr Musk has shared numerous posts about the murder, including a video from far-right activist Tommy Robinson, in which he claims 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.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been condemned over his response to the murder, after he called for the public to respond with “pure, cold rage”.
Sir Keir said his actions were “unforgivable” and accused him of “only pretending” to sympathise with the teenager’s family, who had specifically appealed for their son’s death not to be used to create division.
The prime minister spoke to Nowak’s family on Thursday in a private meeting at Downing Street, No 10 said.
Mr Nowak’s mother, father and stepmother met with Kemi Badenoch on Thursday, where the Conservative leader said they asked “we work across political parties and religions to rebuild trust in the police”.
In a post on X, Mrs Badenoch said: “Henry’s family do not want anger to tear communities apart. They are a family who have friends across faith and race, and so did Henry. His family want his memory to help bring our society together.
“Everyone knows I have strong views about how we should deal with equality under the law. What the family agreed with me on is that we need to bring common sense back, and that is what we should all be fighting for. I promised the family that we will work to ensure there is a positive legacy for Henry out of this tragedy. That is my focus now.”