Murder of Henry Nowak

Lord McLoughlin Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

It is an offence to have an article with a blade or point in a public place without good reason. One of the good reasons, under legislation passed, is “for religious purposes”. Curved swords over 50 centimetres and zombie-style knives and machetes are prohibited items. But my right honourable friend the Home Secretary has said that she will discuss with the Sikh community, the police and other stakeholders the circumstances, post the potential further information coming to light, and the exemptions to date. But the exemptions were given for good reasons, and they have had cross-party support. As I said to the noble Lord, it was not an individual who was a Sikh using a knife for religious purposes; it was a person who was a murderer who used a knife to murder an individual. We should keep that in mind when we reflect upon our discussions.

[Lord McLoughlin (Con)]

My Lords, the Home Secretary said yesterday in her Statement in the Commons that she knows that it is

“difficult to wait any longer for answers”.—[Official Report, Commons, 2/6/26; col. 1015.]

Why will it take three to four months for this inquiry to take place? These inquiries seem to go on for such a long time, and surely that is a ridiculous amount of time for an inquiry to detail what to look at with this particular incident, which we have seen so graphically and awfully illustrated.

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes the point that we want answers about what happened at the incident in full, as soon as possible. Yesterday, I watched the very painful footage from the body-worn camera, it having been released by Hampshire Police last night. It is appalling and horrific and it is of great concern. However, I have not been party yet to what happened prior to that camera footage. I do not know what happened with the call centre or what advice was given during the travel. The IOPC needs to look into that matter and I expect it to produce a report as soon as possible, to give a definitive view of the performance of the police and any back-up to that police force in relation to what happened, as we have seen on camera. That may take time, but I want it to be done as quickly as possible for the family and for the wider community. It is important that we reflect on that in a measured way, as I have tried to say, to ensure that the issues that arise from the incident, and from the conviction of that murder and sentencing, are fully considered by both government and police, and indeed the wider community.