Nigel Farage has been accused of peddling 'fabricated narratives' in the wake of Henry Nowak's murder, after claiming the 'rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities'12:47, 05 Jun 2026Updated 12:47, 05 Jun 2026Experts have rubbished Nigel Farage's claim that white people are now victims of "two-tier" policing - saying the figures show the exact opposite.‌The Reform UK leader has come under fire over his incendiary remarks in the wake of Henry Nowak's murder. His party has vowed to rip up police race action plans - designed to improve policing for Black people - if it gets into power.‌On Friday Justice Secretary David Lammy said he rejected the "caricature" of two-tier policing in the UK. It comes after Donald Trump's US State Department weighed into the row, saying two-tier policing was a sign of "civilisational decline".‌Experts pointed to Ministry of Justice data, which shows minority ethnic groups appear to be over-represented across the criminal justice system. An MOJ report released in November found offenders from Black and other ethnic groups faced increased odds of being sent to prison compared to white offenders. There were also disparities in sentences for drug offences, it said.And Home Office figures show the rate where force was used was 3.3 times higher for Black suspects than their white counterparts in the year to March 2025.‌Dr Shabna Begum, chief executive of anti-racism organisation the Runnymede Trust, accused Mr Farage of presenting "fabricated narratives". She told The Mirror: "People of colour, and Black people in particular, experience disproportionate harm at each stage of contact with the police."For example, Black people are seven times more likely than white people to die following restraint by the police, a disparity that has remained broadly consistent over time. These inequalities are also evident in stop and search, use of force, arrest rates, and deaths following police contact. Taken together, they point to structural racism within policing practices and outcomes, not preferential treatment of people of colour."The MOJ data found the average custodial sentence length was lower for white defendants - who were jailed for an average of 18.4 months for all offences. This rose for 32.2 months for Asian prisoners, 28.6 months for Black offenders and 22.9 months for mixed race criminals.‌And Black offenders served a greater proportion of their original sentence - 62% in 2024 - than people of other ethnic groups.A 2023 report by campaign group Inquest found that Black people are seven times more likely to die than White people following contact with police. In the decade from 2011, 52 Black people died in or following police custody and contact, it found.‌On Tuesday Mr Farage wrote on X: "We're living in a two-tier culture in this country where the rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities."And following violence in Southampton, he said on Wednesday: "The division will get far worse. What you saw in Southampton last night is the beginning. If we get large numbers of young white males who think the police are prejudiced against them, goodness knows where we go. This has to end."Henry was handcuffed by police as he lay dying after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, who falsely claimed he had been the victim of a racial assault. Hampshire Police has apologised to Henry's family, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating.‌Harrowing bodycam footage from police - which showed Henry was not believed - has sparked widespread public anger. It has ignited a debate on whether anti-racism guidance across Britain's police forces impacted the response by officers.Dr Begum added: "We are appalled that the tragic death of Henry Nowak is being used to advance claims that white people are systematically discriminated against by the police."As we have previously stated, this is not only dishonest but also deliberately provocative, and it compounds the harm of Henry’s grieving family by politicising their loss in ways they have not consented to.‌"The Police Race Action Plan represents an attempt to respond to longstanding evidence and concern by confronting and reducing racial inequalities within policing, though we recognise that on its own it does not go far enough to deliver the level of structural change required."It is clear that the current policing system harms us all. Any serious debate about this must be grounded in evidence, not fabricated narratives that seek to advance a divisive political agenda."Samira Ali, Stand Up to Racism national organiser said: "Nigel Farage has inflamed the situation by calling for “pure cold rage”. This dangerous rhetoric gives confidence to far right forces who want to turn grief into racist mobilisation.Article continues below"The claim of 'two tier policing' is a lie used by the far right to justify their racism. In reality, Black and Asian people are still disproportionately stopped, criminalised and subjected to deaths in police custody. Police failures are not challenged by far right violence."Mr Lammy told BBC Radio 4: "I don't recognise this caricature of a two-tier policing system in our country. I just don't see it in the interactions I have with policing. And so I do reject that."On Thursday night the US State Department posted: “Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilisational decline. They must be rejected across the West. The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.”