Badenoch Warns UK Political Rhetoric Risks Deepening Division

(MENAFN) UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has criticised British politicians for what she described as exploiting racial divisions for political gain, warning that such dynamics could push the country toward what she called a “civil war,” according to reports.

In an interview aired on Friday, Badenoch referred to the killing of 18-year-old Polish-British student Henry Nowak, who was fatally stabbed in an incident that took place in Southampton in December 2025 but only recently gained widespread national attention.

The attack was carried out by 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, who initially misled police at the scene by claiming he had been the victim of a racist assault. Officers reportedly accepted that version of events at first before later evidence, including body-camera footage released after sentencing, showed the injured student insisting he had been stabbed and struggling to breathe while being restrained.

Digwa was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years. The case sparked public protests, intense debate, and accusations in political discourse about “two-tier policing” and bias within law enforcement.

The controversy also drew international reaction. According to reports, a US State Department statement described the situation, saying “ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline.”

Badenoch defended her broader stance by saying Britain “is not a racist country,” while also suggesting that rising hostility is affecting people across different ethnic backgrounds, regardless of whether they are native-born or foreign-born.

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