Over the summer, Henry Nowak's final moments were broadcast around...
Kemi Badenoch@KemiBadenoch
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Oct 02, 2026
~1 min read
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Over the summer, Henry Nowak's final moments were broadcast around the world. He was just eighteen, and when the police reached him on a street in Southampton he would have believed that help had come. He told them he had been stabbed and could not breathe, and they handcuffed and arrested him.
I met Henry's family in June, and that meeting has stayed with me ever since. There is still much more to be said about how the police failed Henry, and about how they went on failing his family and loved ones right up until the conviction.
The day after we met, I wrote to the then Prime Minister, Keir Starmer asking for an independent, rapid review of the police response, the decisions that followed, and the role of the police watchdog. I didn't publish that letter at the time, because I hoped the Government would do the right thing and I wanted to work with them quietly to make that happen. Downing Street's answer was to wait for the existing processes to run their course.
Since then, Keir Starmer has gone and Andy Burnham has taken his place, yet still there is no review. There was little mention of victims in the PM’s speech earlier this week. Henry's family have waited long enough, so today I'm publishing my letter. Andy Burnham should order the review now, and I stand ready to work with him to set it up, as I offered in June.
I haven't forgotten Henry, and I won't let this Government forget him either.
I met Henry's family in June, and that meeting has stayed with me ever since. There is still much more to be said about how the police failed Henry, and about how they went on failing his family and loved ones right up until the conviction.
The day after we met, I wrote to the then Prime Minister, Keir Starmer asking for an independent, rapid review of the police response, the decisions that followed, and the role of the police watchdog. I didn't publish that letter at the time, because I hoped the Government would do the right thing and I wanted to work with them quietly to make that happen. Downing Street's answer was to wait for the existing processes to run their course.
Since then, Keir Starmer has gone and Andy Burnham has taken his place, yet still there is no review. There was little mention of victims in the PM’s speech earlier this week. Henry's family have waited long enough, so today I'm publishing my letter. Andy Burnham should order the review now, and I stand ready to work with him to set it up, as I offered in June.
I haven't forgotten Henry, and I won't let this Government forget him either.