Keir Starmer vs Elon Musk: UK PM reacts sharply over posts linked to Henry Nowak’s murder by Sikh man

4 min readUpdated: Jun 4, 2026 06:59 PM IST

UK PM Starmer and tech tycoon Elon Musk locked horns over the murder of a 18-year-old.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday accused SpaceX founder Elon Musk of “trying to whip up division” in his country following anger over the police handling of the murder of white student Henry Nowak by Sikh man Vickrum Digwa.

The row comes amid growing scrutiny in Britain over misinformation, online radicalisation and the role of influential social media figures in amplifying communal tensions.

Starmer, who is facing political turmoil in his country, has slammed the billionaire, saying he is interfering in the nation’s politics and has been accused of attempting to whip up division.

The Labour Party minister, who had condoled the death of the 18-year-old British student, was quoted as saying by AFP, “We need to also assert who we are as a country, because (Elon) Musk, again, has been interfering in our politics in the last few days, trying to whip up division. That is not who we are in Britain.”

Protesters stand facing police officers during a demonstration following the conviction of Vikrum Digwa for the murder of student Henry Nowak, in Southampton, on June 2, 2026. (REUTERS)

Henry Nowak was killed in December by Vickrum Digwa, a Nihang Sikh man. The murder triggered far-right protests in the country, which turned violent on Wednesday. Nowak was allegedly put in handcuffs by police as he lay mortally bruised after being stabbed by Digwa, 23, in Southampton.

Musk’s arguments

Musk, who is a strong supporter of Restore Britain, the far-right party set up by Rupert Lowe, the former Reform UK leader, has been posting on social media about the murder of Nowak, using far-right themes and stances, in the last few weeks. Musk reiterated that the case of Nowak showed the UK is biased against white people.

Did you know that official police policy requires them to be racist against Whites? It is deeply wrong and must change NOW. pic.twitter.com/ekLbHsRV1r

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 2, 2026

Yes, they did https://t.co/e8LNaTXa7p

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 2, 2026

Starmer, during his address in Yorkshire, lauded the Labour MP Jess Asato for taking legal action against Musk’s XAI company after saying its Grok tool aided a user in producing fake sexualised pictures of her. “Jess Asato is absolutely right in the action she is taking. Disgusting images were created, in her particular case by Grok,” Starmer was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

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Justice for Henry Nowak rally

In the violent protests, as many as 11 police officers and a police dog were injured on Tuesday night. The rally billed as ‘Justice for Henry Nowak’ turned into a full-blown riot addressed by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, with bricks, bottles and wheelie bins thrown at police defending the killer’s home.

People gather to protest outside Southampton police station, Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026, after the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak, a British teenager who was handcuffed despite claiming he was the crime victim. (Photo/AP)

UK Sikh community organisations and the British Sikhs All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) have separately condemned the killing as “the criminal act of an individual who alone bears the responsibility for his actions”. However, the groups warned that the broader Sikh community of approximately 520,000 British Sikhs, the vast majority of British-Indian origin, has “unacceptably faced considerable abuse and hate” in the trial’s aftermath.

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brutal murder

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