Key facts
- UK Justice Secretary David Lammy rejected the U.S. State Department's accusation of 'two-tiered policing' in the UK.
- The accusation followed the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak and the release of police bodycam footage.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson and Hampshire Police's Chief Constable Alexis Boon also refuted the State Department's suggestion.
- The U.S. State Department statement linked 'ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing' to 'civilizational decline.'
- Nigel Farage and Reform UK criticized the policing system, claiming 'two-tier policing' based on ethnicity.
UK Justice Secretary David Lammy has rejected the U.S. State Department's accusation of "two-tiered policing" in the U.K., calling it a "caricature of Britain." This political row was sparked by the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak and the subsequent release of police bodycam footage showing officers continuing to handcuff him despite his pleas that he was struggling to breathe and was injured. The U.S. State Department stated that "ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline." Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office and Hampshire Police's Chief Constable Alexis Boon also refuted the State Department's assessment. Nigel Farage and the Reform UK party have echoed the "two-tier policing" claim, linking it to ethnicity and calling for the abolishment of DEI in police forces. Elon Musk also criticized the police actions and the perceived "state religion" of racism accusations in the West, prompting Starmer to accuse Musk of interfering and whipping up division. Starmer acknowledged serious questions about how accusations of racism informed police thinking but stressed that exploiting the tragedy for division is wrong. The Liberal Democrats have called for U.S. ambassador Warren Stephens to be summoned, with spokesperson Calum Miller stating the Trump Administration should not use the tragedy as a political football and calling it flagrant foreign interference.