Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has branded violence at the protests in Southampton last night as "completely unacceptable" as she threatens to unleash the "full force of the law" on agitators.
Posting on X last night, Ms Mahmood expressed her condemnation for the unrest on the streets of Southampton which culminated in protesters clashing with riot police and two arrests.
She wrote: "The scenes this evening in Portswood are completely unacceptable. The Nowak family made a powerful call to us all yesterday to not let Henry’s death be used to create further division, hatred or tension.
"There can be no justification for hijacking this tragedy to stir up violence and disorder. Those responsible can expect to face the full force of the law.
"I thank the police who have tonight shown great bravery and calm in the face of disgraceful violence directed at them."
Protesters held a minute's silence for Henry Nowak, the 18-year-old murdered by Vickrum Digwa late last year, and then began shouting and clashing with police around Southampton Constabulary.
Other politicians have also weighed in, such as Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy saying "public disorder is never acceptable".
Earlier this morning policing minister Sarah Jones said on the unrest: "We can't allow this — and the family said this, and they have acted with such dignity — they have said we do not want to create further division, hatred, or tension, and I think we need to respect that."
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Private schools revealed to have hemorrhaged 30,000 students since Rachel Reeves's VAT raid
The number of pupils at private schools has dramatically fallen by 30,000 since the introduction of VAT on fees.
According to new figures, pupil numbers are down by 6.6 per cent in some year groups with the number of children at private schools falling by 20,000 in the past year alone.
Labour's policy to impose 20 per cent VAT on private school fees was introduced on January 1 last year.
However, far fewer families are now choosing to enrol at the start of primary, prep school or sixth form, reports The Times.
Read George Bunn's story here.
Policing minister: the force's anti-racism commitment is 'clumsy'
Policing minister Sarah Jones told GB News the police's anti-racism commitment is "clumsy".
The "values document", introduced in March 2025, advises the police to treat people of ethnic minorities differently in order to maintain equal treatment of people in policing.
However, Ms Jones said she thought the document "was wrong" and gives "the wrong impression".
She said: "Everyone is equal under the law - I would think this is probably everyone's view across the country. We have to make sure that is always the case. And I think in the vast majority of cases, the police respond in the right way."
Kemi Badenoch: Henry Nowak's murder 'must be a seminal moment for Britain'
Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch has said Henry Nowak's murder "must be a seminal moment for Britain on a par with the murder of Stephen Lawrence".
Writing in the Daily Mail, Mrs Badenoch said: "Henry's murder and the police's botched response must be a seminal moment for Britain on a par with the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the black teenager killed in 1993, which precipitated the Macpherson Report six years later, which found the Metropolitan Police to be 'institutionally racist'".
She also drew attention to how Sir Keir Starmer had bent the knee during the Black Lives Matter movement, alongside Angela Rayner.
Mrs Badenoch wrote: "Why are they not kneeling now for Henry Nowak?"
Sir Keir did address the case yesterday, saying he "felt sick" watching the bodycam footage of Mr Nowak's arrest, concluding "serious questions need to be addressed".
Shadow Justice Secretary condemns Southampton unrest but calls for answers over 'mistakes' from Henry Nowak's murder
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy condemned the outbreak of public disorder in Southampton last night as large crowds expressed their outrage over Henry Nowak's murder, but called into question why the criminal justice system and its apparatus is "making mistakes of that kind".
Speaking to GB News, he said: "Violence and public disorder is never acceptable. It's not an appropriate way to respond to this. I don't think there's actually any political debate about the rights and wrongs of public disorder.
"The debate really lies in what are the reasons as to why law enforcement agencies and why our criminal justice system are making mistakes of the kind that we saw with Henry's death.
"Why did the police respond to that situation by appearing to prioritise the murderer's claim of racism rather than listening to Henry's desperate pleas for help?"
Nick Timothy: 'Our law enforcement are being corrupted by political correctness'
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy described Henry Nowak's murder as "not an isolated example".
Speaking to GB News, he said: "This is not an isolated example and our criminal justice system and our law enforcement are being corrupted by political correctness and by left-wing ideologies that talk about equity rather than equality.
"They say that we need to treat people differently on the basis of their racial and their religious identity. That has to be completely wrong."
'I don't care how ceremonial your dagger is' - Zia Yusuf outlines Reform's Equal Treatment Act
Reform's spokesman for Home Affairs Zia Yusuf has drawn comparisons between the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and Henry Nowak's killing last year.
Speaking to GB News, he pointed out how politicians and other public institutions weighed in on supporting the Black Lives Matter movement which spun out following Mr Floyd's murder at the hands of US police, but the same response has not been witnessed for Mr Nowak's killing.
Mr Yusuf also drew attention to Reform proposing a new policy called the Equal Treatment Act, which would see DEI policies being abolished across police forces.
He said: "Our position, Nigel's position, Reform's position is simple - everyone is equal.
"The other part of the act will be to end the religious exemption that allows some religious to carry deadly weapons, and as I said this morning, 'I don't care how ceremonial your dagger is'.
"If you're not law enforcement under a Reform Government, you will not get to carry deadly weapons on our streets. Full stop."
Policing minister urges people to not 'overreact' following Henry Nowak murder
Policing minister Sarah Jones has urged people not to "overreact" following the murder of Henry Nowak, after two arrests were made during unrest in Southampton.
The MP for Croydon West confirmed one person had been arrested for assaulting a police officer and another for possession of a weapon, and appealed for calm, pointing to the dignity shown by Nowak's family.
Speaking on Times Radio she said: "We can't allow — and the family said this, and they have acted with such dignity — they have said we do not want to create further division, hatred, or tension, and I think we need to respect that."