Downing Street hits back at JD Vance over Henry Nowak murder comments

His comments probed No 10 to hit back

The vice president said there should be ‘righteous anger’ in response to Nowak's murder, which he partly blamed on ‘the mass invasion of migrants’.

His comments probed No 10 to hit back, claiming 'people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets' over Mr Nowak's case.

18-year-old Henry was handcuffed by police officers who ignored his pleas that he had been stabbed after his killer, Vickrum Digwa, claimed to have been the victim of a racist attack.

Unsurprisingly, the Trump administration weighed in on the resulting uproar, saying the case showed ‘two-tiered policing’ exists in the UK.

Downing Street has since hit back at comments from across the pond, criticising people ‘trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets’.

He added: "Each time a life like his is lost, the proper response – the only response – is righteous anger.

"One of the most important things the Trump administration has proven to the world is that stopping the flow of mass migration and defending national sovereignty is a matter of political will and leadership."

His reference to “righteous anger” came after unrest that ensued in Southampton, where Mr Nowak was killed.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Nowak family are grieving after Henry’s horrific murder.

"They have said they do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We should be respecting their wishes.

"Our politics should bring people together even in the most terrible of circumstances. That is who we are as a country."

Mr Vance’s remarks followed a US State Department statement claiming Mr Nowak’s death resulted from both “ideological conditioning” and “two-tiered policing”.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s department said: "Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilisational decline.

"They must be rejected across the West.

"The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time."

Downing Street then said it rejected 'any suggestion' of two-tier policing in the UK.

Digwa has since been jailed for a minimum of 21 years.

The police response to Mr Nowak’s case is being probed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).