B

Baroness Fox of Buckley (Non-Afl)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 3 June 2026

Debate

Murder of Henry Nowak

Contribution

My Lords, close to the end, the Minister said that this has nothing to do with racism, but it does, because the murderer played the race card and the police believed the murderer and his family about racism rather than the dying Henry, who, because of those accusations, died thinking that the state thought he was a racist bigot. Imagine that. It is so much of a tragedy, rage does not even do it. Does the Minister acknowledge the number of former and present front-line police officers who are now reporting that the fear of career-ending accusations of racism is shaping operational decisions? Hampshire Police leadership said that anti-racism and being ethical and inclusive are its top priorities as a police force—over, by the way, keeping people safe or fighting crime. Surely this demands more than just tweaking the guidance or stating that “lessons must be learned”—a phrase I have heard in this House many a time, without lessons being learned.

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