Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood gives statement on the murder of Henry Nowak – watch live

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]can be set back on the right path towards a job in the future.

[00:00:04]>> Um, we are still waiting for the recommendations, Mr. Speaker, but I will feed in my honorable friend's suggestion because I think it's a good one.

[00:00:10]>> Francis, thank you, >> speaker. One legacy of the previous government was it was easier to keep disabled young people on the HP until they're 25 because there isn't adequate support to get them into work, but equally for other young disabled people to make them meet because there isn't adequate support to get them into work.

[00:00:26]So will my honorable friend agree with me that any reforms need a crossdep departmental approach to support disabled young people into work and ensure there's lifelong work opportunities for them?

[00:00:37]>> I do agree with my honorable friend, Mr. Speaker. Sometimes this can feel like a vicious circle for young people with disabilities and we need to make sure that we get this right.

[00:00:45]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My generation and the generation after me have been systematically failed. The scale of the needs crisis is not because of young people but as the minister says a widespread problem across education, health and indeed the welfare system. So can I take this opportunity to welcome the report praise the work of the excellent job center staff in Castle Milk own constituency and invite the minister to come to a jobs fair for young people that we're hosting later this year.

[00:01:07]>> Um can I join in his praise for his local job center staff? He knows that I would never refuse him and I look forward to that visit.

[00:01:15]>> Thank you Mr. Mr. Speaker, and I do refer members to my register of interest. I was really disappointed earlier to hear anxiety as a condition being downplayed because it can be absolutely debilitating and we do have to accept that. To solve the problems presented in the Melbourne report, we'll have to break down the silos within government and work with the devolved government. So, I'd be grateful the minister outline his approach to doing that. And also there's a tendency >> um as I said in response to an earlier question about um conversations with the Welsh government, I am due to meet my Scottish counterpart next week. These conversations take place um regularly, routinely and we will ensure that we have a joined up approach so that everybody across these aisles is able to benefit from these changes.

[00:01:59]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recently visited the job center in Bortown with the employment minister and we saw the great work they were doing to build skills and confidence of young people through work experience with organizations like the National Trust.

[00:02:11]Now I'm delighted we're also getting a youth hub. Can the minister please tell us how young people in my constituency will benefit from that?

[00:02:17]>> Uh Mr. Speaker, youth hubs are an incredible way for um specialists to reach out and work with young people across a range of a range of different interventions. It is a single space from which we can really drill down and target the needs of individual young people in individual communities such as hers. And if I may add, I know my right honorable friend very much enjoyed a visit because she told me so. Jim Dixon.

[00:02:38]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my constituency of Dartford, major government funded infrastructure projects are providing strong opportunities for young people, including skills, training, permanent jobs, and careers. Does the minister agree with me that as we renew our homes, our bridges, our crossings, our rail, our infrastructure, we've got to maximize the opportunities for young people.

[00:03:00]>> I absolutely agree that is significant government investment and it presents a significant opportunity to do just as he says.

[00:03:07]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This report identifies the vital importance of the home learning environment, which is a dry term recognizing that children don't grow up in isolation. They're in rich relationships and parental skills, parental relationships, secure attachment, all really matter. As chair of APG, I'm really pleased the minister's mentioned family hubs and the government's investment in them. Uh they with the new guidance, they're set to be really rich networks, partnerships that support families. Does he agree there should be calls for us to double down on our plan to roll them out quickly and successfully?

[00:03:36]>> I absolutely agree, but he'll appreciate that that is DFE leader.

[00:03:40]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The majority of young people not in employment, education or training in Western Bartonshire want a job or training but are not getting the support they need.

[00:03:49]Does the minister agree that one way to tackle the challenge of youth employment is through our youth hubs such as in Western Bartonshire opening this month, one of 10 across Scotland and will he come and visit it in Western Barton?

[00:04:01]>> Uh it sounds like I'm having a day out in Scotland, Mr. Speaker, because yes, I will take that in at the same time.

[00:04:06]Right, let the front bend over.

[00:04:22]Home Secretary.

[00:04:23]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:04:24]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With your permission, I will make a statement about the murder of Henry Novak. Last December, Henry, aged just 18, was a first year university student with his life ahead of him. He was kind, hardworking, loved by his family and friends. His murder at the hands of Vikram Vikram Digva was a horrifying act.

[00:04:48]>> Diga murdered Henry and then lied about him as he lay dying, falsely accusing him of racism. It was an evil act. I know the thoughts of the whole house will now be with Henry's family and his friends just as mine are. What they have been through is heartbreaking. For most of us, unimaginable.

[00:05:10]I know nothing can take their pain and loss away. But yesterday, we saw some measure of justice. Diga was sentenced to life imprisonment. He will serve a minimum term of 21 years. His mother, Kieran Core, has been convicted of assisting an offender. She is due to be sentenced on 17th of July. And today, the Crime Prosecution Service has authorized further charges against other members of the attacker's family. With further sentencing and possible charges pending, we must be cautious still in what we say about this case so that we do not place any proceedings at risk.

[00:05:51]However, I can and must pay tribute today to the dignified and powerful words of the Novak family in the statement they gave after yesterday's sentencing.

[00:06:01]They deserve answers. They deserve answers in particular about what happened on that awful night and the actions of the police officers who arrived on the scene. I expect many in this house and many more across this country have now seen the police officers body cam footage released last night. It is without question a disturbing and tragic thing to see.

[00:06:25]People are rightly asking questions about how the situation was handled and they are shocked and disqued to hear Henry's words, "I can't breathe."

[00:06:37]I know that it is difficult to wait any longer for answers. But there is a proper process to assess whether there have been incidents of police misconduct led by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the IOPC.

[00:06:50]They will determine what could and should have been done differently. They will determine what action may need to be taken against individual officers.

[00:06:59]The family yesterday called on me, and I quote, to ensure the IOPC has the resources, authority, and independence it needs to conduct a full, fearless, and transparent investigation.

[00:07:12]Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to you today that I will do so. The IOPC will be equipped and encouraged to act to find the truth and to ensure if necessary that there are consequences.

[00:07:24]>> There have been accusations, I know, of two-tier policing that one community has been prioritized over another. It will be for the IOPC to determine the facts with regard to this specific case, and I cannot and will not comment on them. But let me say this on the question of preferential treatment more widely. The police in this country have a sacred duty to police without fear or favor.

[00:07:51]Everyone in this country is equal before the law.

[00:07:55]>> It is the promise upon which our whole justice system rests and the equality of every citizen is the foundation on which the openness, tolerance and generosity of this country rests.

[00:08:09]Let me also be clear about one other thing. a dangerous undercurrent that I have seen in the reaction to this awful crime. Threats against police officers are utterly unacceptable.

[00:08:21]>> There can be no justification for intimidation, abuse, or attempts to take the law into one's own hands. A police officer unrelated to this case has been misidentified online and subjected to death threats. He has been forced to relocate to protect himself and his family. misinformation and inflammatory commentary is making a dreadful situation even worse. We must all together condemn it and we must also allow the facts to be established to the appropriate investigations and the courts and we must do so calmly and responsibly.

[00:08:58]>> The Novak family and Henry's memory deserve answers. They have also called on us all to take action. action to address the daily tragedy of knife crime in this country. This government is committed to having knife crime in this decade. And since the start of this parliament, we have made progress. Knife crime has fallen by 10% and knife homicides are down 27% at their lowest level in a decade. But clearly we must do more whilst there are still tragedies like this one. And for that reason, we have recently published our Haring knife crime plan. It sets out how we will go further to drive sustained reductions in violence. It brings together action across government and across society to stop people from turning to knife crime and to ensure that perpetrators are caught and brought to justice amongst a range of measures. This will see schools and families supported to address the root causes of knife crime through the establishment of 50 young futures hubs. Police using new crime mapping tools to target enforcement more precisely and making better use of stop and search and cruel and exploitative drug gangs stopped from criminally exploiting children preventing the knife violence that is driven by the county lion's trade. In relation to knife controls, there have been calls to limit the right of seeks to carry their ceremonial knife, the kurban, one of the five holy items in their faith. The offensive weapons act of 2019 passed under the previous government clarified and strengthened existing legal protections in relation to long kurpans.

[00:10:35]This included extending defenses so that kurpans can be lawfully possessed for religious reasons and used in religious and ceremonial contexts. But let me be clear, carrying a knife for the purpose of religious observance is one thing.

[00:10:51]Using it as so tragically occurred in this case is quite another. It is a vile act, a crime of the utmost severity and it will be met with the severest punishment.

[00:11:04]>> Yesterday the Novak family ended their statement with a powerful call to us all. I quote, "We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred, or tension."

[00:11:17]They quoted the words of the prosecuting lawyer and I quote again, Mr. Speaker, this is not a case about seekism. This is not a case about racism. This is a case about murder.

[00:11:28]I echo those words. We cannot allow this murder to turn communities against one another. We must condemn those who seek personal political profit from tragedy.

[00:11:39]>> Instead, we must show who we really are in this country. This was a murder, a vile and violent crime. The punishment must be reserved for those who are responsible for the act. We do not believe in collective punishment in this country. Instead, we stand together against an act of pure evil. We condemn those who committed this heinous crime, not all those who share their faith or their ethnicity.

[00:12:06]Yesterday, a sentence was handed down in court. I know it will never be enough.

[00:12:12]The loss felt by Henry Novak's family and friends will last forever. A wonderful young man will never enjoy the promise of the life that stretched out before him. The evil acts of his murderer and accomplice will never be undone. But we can choose to use this moment to pursue positive change. We are still limited in what we can say. There is a sentence to be handed down and further charges may follow and there is an IOPC investigation ongoing. But I call on everyone here to be responsible in this moment to allow justice to run its full course. But while we must be limited in what we can say, we must not be limited in how we act. I will end with the words of the Novak family once more. Last night, they wrote that no other family should experience the heartbreak and horror of losing a child to knife crime. Let that be the challenge to us all across this house, across government, and across society.

[00:13:11]It is the very least we can do to honor the memory of Henry Novak. Mr. Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.

[00:13:17]>> Chris Shadow Home Secretary.

[00:13:20]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Home Secretary and thank you, Mr. Speaker, for ensuring the government came to the house today.

[00:13:28]The murder of Henry Novak is devastating for his family.

[00:13:34]He was an innocent young man on the way home when he was brutally killed.

[00:13:40]Henry's family have suffered an unimaginable loss and I know the thoughts of the whole house will be with them all. The evil murderer Vicram Digua lied from start to finish, including a false allegation of racism.

[00:13:58]But on arriving at the scene, the police appeared more concerned with the accusation of racism and even the possibility that Digua himself was injured than they were in helping Henry.

[00:14:11]Henry told the police he could not breathe nine times. He told them he had been stabbed four times. The response from the officer we've all heard was to say, "I don't think you have, mate."

[00:14:25]Henry was handcuffed and dragged across the ground as he lay dying. Can you imagine what he must have felt as he cried out for help and was ignored as the officers who should have worked to save him instead handcuffed him and inquired after the welfare of his killer standing just inches away.

[00:14:47]Henry's dad, Mark, said this. Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved. He lost consciousness before anyone believed him. So we need the IOPC to urgently and transparently report into how it was the police attending were more concerned with the accusation of racism than they were in helping a dying man. Mr. Speaker, we cannot tolerate a situation where false allegations of racism by criminals are believed. We cannot allow the color of someone's skin to be a consideration in how the police or other public services treat people. And yet this has happened. Just recently we learned that Valdo Calakonei who murdered three people in Nottingham was not sectioned by mental health professionals because they thought there was, and I quote, an over representation of young black males in mental health detention. The consequent failure to section Valdo Calakonei in part because he was black led directly to the murder of three innocent people. The head teacher of Axel Radakabana was accused of racist stereotyping when she described Radic Cababana as a threat to safety and the risk assessment was watered down. Radic Cababana of course went on to stab and murder three young girls at a Southport dance class. But Mr. Speaker, this has not happened by accident. It is enshrined in the police's own policy documents. The police anti-racism commitment published in March 2025 by the NPCC and the College of Policing urges police forces to reverse engineer the same arrest rates between ethnic groups, even though the offending rates are different, by treating different ethnic groups differently. Let that sink in for a moment. An official police document actually says people should be treated differently based on the color of their skin. I've said before at this dispatch box at least twice that document should be withdrawn. The dangerous ideology of so-called anti-racism allowing people to be treated differently based on race must end. Extreme activists have hijacked the policymaking process and this is where it has led. It has no place in policing. It has no place anywhere. So, does the home secretary agree that the so-called police anti-racism commitment must urgently be withdrawn? It is morally wrong and it is dangerous as well. Police forces must focus on catching criminals and keeping the public safe. They must simply treat everyone exactly the same.

[00:17:36]>> I want to finish with Mark Novak's words yesterday. Henry's father, he said this.

[00:17:42]Henry was 18. He was kind, ambitious, loved, and full of promise. He had his whole life ahead of him. But that future was stolen from him, and no verdict and no sentence will ever give it back. Mr. Speaker, it is true that nothing can bring Henry back. But let us make sure that no one ever again experiences what Henry did in his last tragic moments.

[00:18:12]>> Home Secretary.

[00:18:14]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me thank the shadow home secretary for uh his remarks and um for the uh tone in which he's uh uh reflected on the uh this horrific murder and the words of the family which obviously he knows I share as well. Uh let me just say his his initial point. I would normally let it slide, Mr. speaker, but I think there's far too much uh misinformation floating around social media for me to just leave this one unchallenged. On the government coming to the house, he will know that the proceedings and sentencing concluded at 4:00 yesterday. We said we would come immediately thereafter to the house and we have presented ourselves here today.

[00:18:50]Uh we have responded in an appropriate way with all of the facts at our disposal and all of the judges uh remarks uh at our disposal for our review before coming to this house. And I think it's important that we respond in these moments in a measured uh way and that is what we the government have sought to do. Uh he referred to evidence uh in relation to the uh Valdo Calane inquiry. He will know that the inquiry into the Nottingham attacks is uh well underway and I don't think it would be appropriate for me from this dispatch box to preempt any findings that the inquiry might make. Uh but of course all of the actions uh and assumptions made by professionals of different public services including the police uh and the health service are subject to um scrutiny within that inquiry. I'm sure those are matters uh that we will return to uh as as that inquiry uh reports. uh he did refer to the findings uh of phase one of the Southport uh inquiry in relation to uh those horrific uh murders and the findings in relation to how uh the the public service systems in that case in relation to Axel Rud Cabana uh centered the danger he might have posed to himself given his mental health diagnosis uh and did not take into account the danger he posed uh potentially to others. uh there have been recommendations he will know that have been made uh for change in this area which the government uh will respond to fully uh in due course. Uh but let me be very clear with him and all members uh in this house uh in all such matters in terms of how we engage with our public services and how they assist risk. The only important factor is the risk an individual poses not their race not their religion or indeed anything else. And we will not tolerate a situation where other irrelevant factors are taken into account. I repeat again, all are equal before the law and every public service uh needs to bear that in mind. He he referred to the um police anti-racism commitment. He will obviously remember I'm sure that the race action plan for the police began life under the previous Conservative government. In fact, I'm old enough to remember when Theresa May uh called out disproportionate use of stop and search uh for black communities in particular.

[00:21:04]He will know uh that the way that policing works in this country is by consent. It is important that the police retain the confidence of all of the communities uh that they police uh and that there has I think he would acknowledge been a history and a context here uh relating to racism uh and the police. Whatever changes are made uh that it is important that nobody overcorrects or course corrects such that uh all of us as citizens are no longer equal before uh the law and this government will always ensure uh that in fulfilling their sacred duties uh to keep our communities uh safe that the police always act without fear and fervor and always ensure that every citizen is treated uh equally. But I'm sure he wouldn't want to um do down or ignore uh historic uh and legitimate concerns that there have been uh from some communities about institutional racism uh as well as uh differential uh treatment. I condemn all types of differential and every type of differential uh treatment. I do not stand for it. My own track record as a government minister shows I will always act when there is evidence of differential treatment. uh and it is absolutely vital that that message is heard loud and clear across the whole of our country.

[00:22:20]>> Lauren Puff, >> thank you, Mr. Speaker, and can I thank the Secretary of Stoke for her statement. Henry was a popular and much loved student at the University of Southampton and his murder has horrified our city. Uh I know both my honorable friend, the member for Southampton Test and I want to commend everyone at the university for their response and support for the university community following this tragedy. Mr. Speaker, like many, I've watched the body foot cam footage, and it is both heartbreaking and infuriating. It makes it plain for all to see how Henry posed no threat that would warrant being handcuffed, and yet was treated as a criminal based on the lies of his murderer. Now, no one in their right mind thinks that one seek or one or two police officers represents all seeks or the entire police force. As Henry's father has said, this is about murder, about our response to it, and about our prevention of it. So, I have two questions for my right honorable friend.

[00:23:16]We have a knife problem in this country.

[00:23:18]That's why we've taken early steps to ban zombie knives and to crack down on knife sellers. But it is obvious that is not enough and we have to go further.

[00:23:26]So, will the Secretary of State commit to clarifying a set of tough and consistent knife laws and the resources to enforce them so that we can actually move on? And secondly, I echo the words of Henry's dad as as she did and ask the Secretary of State to guarantee that the IOPC will have the resources, the authority, and the independence it needs to conduct a full, fearless, and transparent investigation. Will she guarantee that? because the catastrophic errors that were made when police officers got to Henry must never happen again.

[00:24:02]>> Well, let me thank my honorable uh friend uh for his uh contribution and for his questions. Let me give him that guarantee. The IOPC uh will and do have the uh resources that they need in order to conduct their investigation. uh and I know that they will do so uh you know with the full independence that is afforded to them uh in our system. Uh I I understand that they intend to um re report finally within uh the next three months. Uh and I do believe that a a meeting is now taking place with the family. Some contact had been made before but uh they were waiting for the end of the criminal uh trial. Uh so of course they will they will do their job.

[00:24:40]They are getting on with doing their job and I expect them to report as quickly as possible. But I can give him the guarantee that he seeks. Uh he is right about us having a knife crime problem in this country. That is why the government has a landmark commitment to having knife crime uh over a decade. It's why we've uh launched the knife crime action plan. And let me reassure him, it does have the resources it needs in order to fulfill its historic mission.

[00:25:03]>> Max Wilkinson, Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[00:25:06]>> Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a heartbreaking case of a young man who should be alive today with a happy life ahead of him because of the for