PMQs: Starmer clashes with Farage over Henry Nowak

The death of Henry Nowak loomed large over today’s session of Prime Minister’s Questions. Distressing details of Nowak’s stabbing and subsequent arrest emerged yesterday after the conviction of his killer, Vickrum Digwa.

Mark Nowak, Henry’s father, has called for his son’s murder not to be used to spread division. Yet in the hours after details of the case emerged, Nigel Farage said it revealed “that Britain now operates according to a two-tier culture, where some groups receive greater protection than others”. He compared Nowak’s murder to the murder of George Floyd. Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch also responded, urging constraint and expressing their condolences to the family.

The Prime Minister opened the session by paying tribute to Nowak’s family: “This is a time for serious work, not rage,” he said. He thanked Badenoch and Ed Davey for their response to the tragedy. In a sombre moment, Starmer spoke with deep emotion about Nowak’s death, his voice wobbling and barely audible. He told the Commons that after watching the bodycam footage of Nowak’s arrest, he felt “sick”.

Starmer’s voice was full of uncharacteristic emotion when he concluded: “Henry’s life has been stolen,” he said, “we must now allow this tragedy to be hijacked by people who seek to divide us.”

Then the speaker called Farage. The Reform UK leader had been intently watching proceedings, flanked by his deputy Richard Tice to his right and recently defected Tory Andrew Rosindell to his left. Farage stood up to boos and heckles from across the Chamber, and once he begun to ask his question (“Can I ask the Prime Minister to consider this – that to many in the UK we are now living in a two-tier system”) the Commons erupted into shouts of “shame on you”. Some Labour MPs were furiously pointing and jeering as Farage spoke.

Starmer responded with fury and disbelief. “I’m really shocked that he pretends to have respect for Henry’s family and then acts in this way,” he said. “His response has to be to appeal for rage…To do it when the family is expressly saying please don’t is unforgivable. It shows exactly who he is.” The Labour benches cheered.

Badenoch, meanwhile, used none of her six questions to push Starmer on the government response to Nowak. Instead, she pressed the Prime Minister on the government’s approach to welfare spending and attempting to pincer him on his longevity in office and the potential return to Westminster of Starmer’s chief rival: Andy Burnham. (“He’s keeping the seat warm for the mayor of Greater Manchester,” she said).

The release of text messages between Peter Mandelson and the Work and Pensions Secretary earlier this week was certainly a helpful development for Badenoch. While he was a cabinet minister, McFadden told Mandelson: “Every meeting I have is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’”. (McFadden, who was sat on the front bench throughout, looked extremely awkward as Badenoch read out his messages). Badenoch also made light of another piece of information revealed by what was missing from the latest tranche of Mandelson files: Starmer uses disappearing messages on WhatsApp, so many of the messages he might have sent are now long gone.

As Labour MPs cheered in support of the Prime Minister, Badenoch said: “I don’t know why they’re supporting him. He is more than happy to release their text messages while his have disappeared.” With a giggle, she concluded: “Disappearing text messages from the disappearing PM.”

[Further reading: Andy Burnham’s door-knock to Downing Street]