Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has stated he directly contacted US Vice-President JD Vance to challenge comments attributing the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak to mass migration. Lammy informed Vance that the killing "has got nothing to do with mass migration," emphasizing that Vance’s perspective was incorrect.

The exchange comes after Vance posted on X, suggesting that Nowak’s death was a consequence of "the mass invasion of migrants" and a failure of "European elites" to resist "self-hatred." Vance had also commented that Nowak "died the same way a civilisation dies: abandoned and handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared for him."

Lammy confirmed he spoke with Vance on Saturday, describing the conversation as "agreeable" and "robust," despite their differing viewpoints. He reiterated that Nowak’s family had appealed for calm following the tragedy, a sentiment he shared with the Vice-President. Lammy also stated that he did not agree with Vance's "caricature of Western civilisation and its perceived decline."

Vance's remarks followed the sentencing of Vickrum Digwa, who was jailed for life for fatally stabbing Nowak in Southampton in December last year. Digwa, a British national, falsely claimed he had been racially abused and acted in self-defence. Bodycam footage showed police handcuffing Nowak as he lay dying.

The murder sparked significant debate in the UK regarding policing and knife crime, leading to protests in Southampton. Digwa claimed he carried the blade for religious reasons linked to his Sikh faith.

Despite the disagreement over the interpretation of the events, Lammy noted that he and Vance remain "colleagues and friends" and are able to have such direct conversations. He acknowledged that Vance holds "strongly held views."

Following Nowak's sentencing, Henry Nowak's father, Mark, made a public appeal for calm. "We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension," he stated outside the court.

Lammy and Vance have developed an unexpected friendship over time, enabling them to engage in frank discussions on sensitive political and social issues.