Foreign Secretary David Lammy states that he has told US Vice-President JD Vance that his comments about a teenager's murder should not be linked to mass migration. The article reports Lammy's characterization of Vance's remarks as factually disconnected from immigration policy.
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7 Jun 2026
Lammy says he told JD Vance that Nowak case had 'nothing to do with mass migration'
On Friday evening, the US vice-president, JD Vance, blamed Henry Nowak’s murder on the “mass invasion of migrants” and said the “only response” was “righteous anger”, prompting a rebuke from Downing Street which hit out at “people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division”.
The UK justice secretary and deputy prime minister, David Lammy, revealed to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips that he spoke to Vance yesterday following his intervention. Lammy, who is rumoured to be good friends with the vice-president, said:
double quotation mark I spoke to the vice president yesterday, and I wanted to emphasise a number of things.
The first is that our democratic process is working well . This young man has been convicted. There is an investigation into the police by the Independent Police (Conduct)Authority.
There is an investigation into Hampshire Police by the inspectorate. The (attorney general) is looking at the sentencing in relation to this. The national police chiefs are looking at the guidance in relation to this.
The second thing was I disagree with him . This has got nothing to do with mass migration . This young man was a Brit . Let’s be clear about that. And I said, ‘look, Mr vice president, you’re wrong about this ’.
And it’s also the case that actually murder is coming down in the United Kingdom . So we had an agreeable conversation. But we disagree.
US vice-president JD Vance talks with David Lammy during a meeting at Chevening House in Kent in August 2025. Photograph: Kin Cheung/AP Asked how Vance reacted, Lammy said the vice-president has a “longstanding concern about what he calls western values”, adding that the conversation ended very amicably.
“I also urged him that it’s not helpful to tweet in this way, partly because of what the Nowak family have asked for, and reminded him about their desire not to make this an issue of division and hatred but to make this an issue of common sense.”
Key events
7 Jun 2026
Closing Summary
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Lammy says he told JD Vance that Nowak case had 'nothing to do with mass migration'
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Closing Summary
David Lammy said he spoke with JD Vance about remarks he made in the aftermath of Henry Nowak’s murder blaming the “mass invasion of migrants”. In that call, he told the US vice president that his comments were ‘wrong’ .
The justice secretary and deputy prime minister also said that watching the police bodycam footage of Nowak’s arrest was “deeply traumatic” and said it brought back memories of George Floyd and of Stephen Lawrence .
The attorney general is also reviewing the sentence given to Vickrum Digwa , who was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years.
Elsewhere, prime minister Keir Starmer is reportedly looking to cut capital investment in infrastructure projects to fund his government’s defence investment plan
Thanks for joining us. We are closing this blog now. You can find all our latest coverage of UK politics here .
Pete Hegseth’s D-day speech on immigration condemned as ‘grotesque stupidity’
The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth , has been accused by historians and rights campaigners of “grotesque stupidity” and desecrating the memory of the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy after he sought to link immigration to the D-day anniversary, saying that Europe was facing a different “invasion” of its shores.
Speaking in north-west France on Saturday to mark the 82nd anniversary of the D-day landings, Hegseth seized on the moment marking the wartime liberation of Europe to reiterate the US administration’s longstanding attack on European immigration policies.
“Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies,” Hegseth told those gathered at the American military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.
“Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion, or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not,” he said.
“The men who fought and died here restored freedom to Europe,” added Hegseth, a former Fox News host. “That freedom must be maintained by this generation of leaders and war fighters, or what they fought for was merely temporary.”
The remarks were swiftly condemned on social media. The English historian, author and television presenter Simon Schama described them as a “special kind of loathsomeness: a blend of historical deafness, grotesque stupidity and comically ludicrous self-importance”.
Schama a…
Read the full article at The Guardian (UK) →The article accuses JD Vance of misrepresenting or disrespecting the legacy of Henry Nowak.
Bias read (Left): The headline uses 'smearing' which implies an intentional defamation, suggesting a critical stance towards JD Vance's actions. The framing appears to align with a perspective that views Vance's comments as disrespectful or misleading regarding Henry Nowak's legacy, indicating a left-leaning critique
A UK politics live blog reports that Justice Secretary David Lammy told US Vice President JD Vance his remarks blaming mass immigration for the murder of Henry Nowak were "wrong." The entry also covers the public accounts committee's criticism of delays in publishing the government's defence investment plan, which it says is undermining the UK's credibility with allies and harming its armed forces and defence industry.
Bias read (Center): The text reports statements and committee findings factually, quoting officials directly without editorializing, despite covering politically charged topics like immigration and defence spending.
Official sources cited
Foreign Secretary David Lammy states that he has told US Vice-President JD Vance that his comments about a teenager's murder should not be linked to mass migration. The article reports Lammy's characterization of Vance's remarks as factually disconnected from immigration policy.
Bias read (Center): The framing subtly favors Lammy's position by presenting his claim as direct fact without equivalent weight given to Vance's apparent reasoning, and by characterizing the comments as 'wrong' in the headline.
Official sources cited
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy says he told US Vice President JD Vance he was 'wrong' to blame the murder of British teenager Henry Nowak on mass migration in a Saturday phone call. Lammy asserted that the UK's democratic process is functioning properly, in response to Vance's commentary linking the teenager's death to immigration.
Bias read (Center): The article frames Lammy's criticism of Vance as the primary narrative and characterizes Vance's position as a contested 'blame' rather than presenting both interpretations equally; the headline emphasizes Lammy's rebuttal without balancing Vance's underlying concerns about migration policy.
Official sources cited
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suggested the United States is attempting to interfere in British democracy following remarks by US Vice President JD Vance regarding the murder of British teenager Henry Nowak. Vance linked Nowak's death to mass migration and criticized European elites. Downing Street responded indirectly, stating that efforts to interfere in democracy and incite division were being observed. The Nowak family has expressed a desire for unity rather than further division after the tragic incident. The victim was wrongly accused of racism before being fatally stabbed by a British
Bias read (Center): The article presents both Starmer's response and Vance's comments without overtly favoring one side. It includes direct quotes from Downing Street and mentions the Nowak family's stance, providing balanced coverage of the situation.
Official sources cited
The official sources this coverage is built on. Read them directly to bypass framing.
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