Reform pledges 'end to Sikh blade exemption and police race plans' after murder of Henry Nowak
Reform UK has pledged to enact an "Equal Treatment Act" which repeals police race action plans, ends DEI practices and abolishes the exemption for Sikhs to carry large blades.
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Following the shocking bodycam footage of Henry Nowak being handcuffed after he lay dying on the floor, the party says its plan will be enacted in its first 100 days of entering government.
They said the proposed law would "overturn the progressive capture of policing and ensure equality before the law".
Henry Nowak was handcuffed and arrested after being stabbed four times with an 8-inch ceremonial knife by Vickrum Digwa, 23, who later falsely claimed he had been racially abused by the teenager.
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, said: "The tragic death of Henry Nowak is a horrific example of two-tier policing in Britain. The accusation of racism was dealt with more seriously than the accusation of being stabbed.
"This is a direct result of police initiatives like the Hampshire Police Race Action Plan which trains officers to do this. A Reform government will pass an Equal Treatment Act, which will end two tier policing for good."
Earlier on Tuesday, Reform's leader Nigel Farage called for an end to "anti-white prejudice" in an emergency address to the nation in the wake of the murder Nowak's murder by Vickrum Digwa.
Mr Farage has claimed the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Henry Nowak and the police response that followed are evidence of what he called “two-tier Britain”.
Despite the interventions, Mr Nowak's family has stressed they do not want to see his murder used to inflame tensions.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, the Reform UK leader said officers had treated “an accusation of a racial slur more seriously than an act of murder”.
Speaking to Nick Ferrari this morning on LBC, Mr Farage called for Sir Keir Starmer to speak out in depth over the murder.
Complaints from white people go "straight to the back of the queue," Mr Farage told LBC.
“We as a nation have a right to be angry on their behalf."
Mr Farage said the case had prompted little national reaction, contrasting it with the response after the death of George Floyd in the United States, when Sir Keir was photographed taking the knee "just days later".
He argued the case showed “the rights and privileges of white people matter less than ethnic minorities”, and linked the incident to wider concerns over immigration, integration and diversity policies.
Mr Farage continued: “What happened on that night in Southampton perhaps should not be a surprise in two-tier Britain.”
Digwa’s family apologised to his victim’s relatives, and for bringing the Sikh Community into “disrepute”.
The murderer’s mother, Kiran Kaur, awaits sentencing for assisting an offender by taking the knife used to kill the 18-year-old in Southampton back to the nearby family home.
The 53-year-old will be sentenced on July 17 once a pre-sentence report has been prepared on her.
The Digwa family said in a statement: “The loss of a young life is a grief that no family should ever have to carry. We are deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the Nowak family has had to endure.
“We love Vickrum. We will continue to love him. That love does not stand in opposition to the sorrow we feel for the Nowak family. Both are real, and both will remain with us for the rest of our lives.
“We would give anything to turn back time so the path of both Henry and Vickrum never crossed that night. We cannot change what has happened, we just hope that no further pain is caused in its name.
“We apologise to the Sikh community for our son’s actions which have unfairly brought the community into disrepute.
“We ask that this tragedy is not used by anyone to inflame division or hostility towards any community.
“We now ask for privacy as we come to terms with what lies ahead.”
Sentencing Digwa at Southampton Crown Court, Judge William Mousley KC said that the 23-year-old showed a “callous disregard” for the well-being of Mr Nowak by continuing to make films of him suffering and “ignoring much of his desperation at having been stabbed”.
The judge continued: “You told him that had not happened, no doubt to convince others who were nearby.
“Your brother did much the same, although he may just have been accepting that which you had told him, rather than lying himself.
“You lied to him that you had been attacked, picking up on his question about whether it had been accompanied by racism by falsely claiming that Henry had called you a ‘P***’.
“I am sure that Henry had said nothing racist.”