Andy Burnham poised to wade into 'two-tier' policing furore TODAY as Reform UK puts issue at heart of Makerfield by-election fight amid outrage at Henry Nowak case

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 09:52, 4 June 2026 | Updated: 09:56, 4 June 2026 Andy Burnham is today poised to wade into the furious 'two-tier policing' row that has erupted in the wake of the death of Henry Nowak. There has been widespread fury after bodycam footage showed the 18-year-old student repeatedly telling officers that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. Police ignored Mr Nowak's pleas as they handcuffed him while he lay dying, after his killer Vickrum Digwa falsely claimed he had been racially abused by the teenager. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said people should respond with 'pure cold rage' to Mr Nowak's treatment, which he claimed was evidence of a 'two-tier culture'. He was accused by political opponents of stoking racial tensions with his remarks, following riots in Southampton near to where the murder took place in December. Reform has denied seeking to exploit Mr Nowak's death for political capital amid its fight against Mr Burnham, who is Labour's candidate, in the Makerfield by-election. Following clashes between Keir Starmer and Mr Farage during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mr Burnham urged all politicians to 'respect' the words of Mr Nowak's family. They have warned his death should not be 'used to create further division, hatred or tension'. Mr Burnham also said he would 'set out' a further response on Thursday. Andy Burnham is poised to wade into the furious 'two-tier policing' row that has erupted in the wake of the death of Henry Nowak Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said people should respond with 'pure cold rage' to Mr Nowak's treatment, which he claimed was evidence of a 'two-tier culture' Following clashes between Keir Starmer and Mr Farage during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mr Burnham urged all politicians to 'respect' the words of Mr Nowak's family Mr Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, posted on X: 'What happened to Henry is distressing and deeply troubling. 'His family have endured pain no family should ever have to feel and my thoughts are with them. 'All politicians should hear and respect their words at this time. This tragedy deserves a full and considered response. 'As part of developing mine, I have spoken this morning to the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police and will set out more tomorrow.' Mr Burnham is standing as Labour's candidate in the Makerfield by-election in an attempt to return to the House of Commons. If he wins the June 18 contest, Mr Burnham is widely expected to go on and challenge Sir Keir for the Labour leadership with a view to replacing him in Downing Street. Mr Burnham has branded the by-election as 'the most consequential of our lives' and - in a coded threat to the PM - said his campaign is offering a case for 'a change to Labour'. He is due to appear on a special episode of the BBC's Question Time programme tonight, alongside Reform's by-election hopeful Robert Kenyon and other parties' candidates. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.