‘Will she say white lives matter?’ Robert Jenrick clashes with Shabana Mahmood over Henry Nowak murder
Robert Jenrick clashed with Shabana Mahmood in Parliament over the murder of Henry Nowak.
Addressing the Home Secretary, Reform UK's Treasury spokesman called for answers on the treatment of the 18-year-old student by police officers in the moments before his death.
Officers handcuffed the student, despite his pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe, after his attacker, Vickrum Digwa, accused him of racism.
Speaking before lawmakers, Mr Jenrick said: “The bigger question is this: why do officers behave in this way?
“Is it because they have been taught repeatedly to elevate perceptions of ethnic minority communities over the safety of white British people?
“That sickness contributed to the killings of Axel Rudakubana and Valdo Calocane, and now to Digwa, is a sickness rooted in the anti-racism agenda.
“Will the Home Secretary root it out? Will she return to equality before the law for all?
“Will she say that when it comes to public safety, white lives matter just as much as anyone else's?”
Responding, the Labour frontbencher said: “I don't think this is a moment to pit white Britons against non-white Britons.
“This is a moment to reflect on a horrific tragedy.
“Let me also say it is a fundamental principle, not just of the British criminal justice system, but who and what we are as a country, that we are all equal before the law of our land.
“That applies regardless of the colour of your skin.
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“That applies whether you are a non-white British family that arrived here 50 years ago or ten years ago, or if you're a white Brit whose family have been here for about 300 years or more.
“We are all equal before the law of our land, and we should all support that principle.
“We should not use it to pit our citizens against one another. That is not what this moment demands.”
The Home Secretary also then addressed Mr Jenrick’s concerns about the conduct of the officers.
“He knows full well that the IOPC is investigating the conduct of those police officers.
“It would be wholly inappropriate for a member of this House to seek to preempt an independent investigation into the potential misconduct of police officers.
“That iOPC investigation will look at individual conduct, but also what wider lessons can be learnt from this case,” she added.
Ms Mahmood stressed she would “personally ensure that all lessons are learned and, indeed, acted upon.
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