Nigel Farage has faced widespread criticism for his claims of 'two-tier policing' in the UK, with experts and official data indicating the opposite. The Reform UK leader made the remarks following the murder of Henry Nowak in Southampton, where police handcuffed the victim as he lay dying. Farage argued that white people are now treated less favourably than ethnic minorities, but figures from the Ministry of Justice and Home Office show persistent disparities against Black and minority ethnic groups.
Ministry of Justice data from November 2024 reveals that Black and other ethnic minority offenders face higher odds of imprisonment and longer sentences than white offenders. For example, the average custodial sentence for white defendants was 18.4 months, compared to 32.2 months for Asian, 28.6 months for Black, and 22.9 months for mixed-race offenders. Additionally, Black prisoners served 62% of their original sentence in 2024, a higher proportion than other groups.
Home Office figures for the year to March 2025 show that police used force 3.3 times more often against Black suspects than white ones. Dr Shabna Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, described Farage's claims as 'fabricated narratives', highlighting that Black people are seven times more likely to die following police restraint than white people, a disparity that has persisted for over a decade.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy rejected the 'caricature' of two-tier policing, while the US State Department controversially weighed in, calling it a sign of 'civilisational decline'. Farage's party has pledged to scrap police race action plans aimed at addressing racial inequalities if it gains power. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the police response to Henry Nowak's murder, which has sparked public anger and debate over anti-racism guidance in policing.
