BBCHenry Nowak was stabbed to death by Vickrum Digwa in December 2025Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to Henry Nowak saying the 18-year-old "deserves a legacy that goes beyond this awful tragedy".
The prime minister said he was "profoundly humbled" to meet the university student's family at No 10 Downing Street on Thursday afternoon and was determined to do everything "in our power to prevent other families from suffering such a devastating loss".
There has been widespread outrage after bodycam footage showed police putting 18-year-old university student Nowak in handcuffs as he lay dying, after his killer Vickrum Digwa claimed he had been the victim of a racial attack.
Sir Keir added there were "difficult questions that need to be answered about the way the police handled Henry's murder".
Footage of the teenager's arrest showed Nowak repeatedly tell officers that he had been stabbed, with one replying: "I don't think so mate".
Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years for murder.
After a private meeting with Nowak's father Mark Nowak, mother Lucy Ross and stepmother Katie Woodcock, Sir Keir said he was moved to learn about Henry's "kindness, his warmth, and his love of football" and his bright future ahead which was "cruelly stolen from him in appalling circumstances".
"Henry deserves a legacy that goes beyond this awful tragedy, and I am committed to making that happen," Sir Keir said.
"I am determined that we do everything in our power to prevent other families from suffering such a devastating loss.
Speaking on the investigation into the police's response to Nowak's stabbing, the prime minister added: "We will be unflinching in taking whatever action is required to right the wrongs in this case.
"It is our duty now to ensure that lessons are learned, that justice is delivered and that we choose unity and progress over division and hatred. This is the only way to honour Henry's memory."
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she had also met Nowak's family and they did not want anger to "tear communities apart".
"They have asked that we work across political parties and religions to rebuild trust in the police. That trust has been broken because of what happened, and I agree with them on that," she said.
A Reform UK spokesman said Henry's death was "a tragedy that should never happened" and the party has been in contact with Nowak's family.
Keir Starmer
