Henry Nowak's family "have shown extraordinary dignity", Starmer first says, and pays tribute to him as a "kind, thoughtful, much-loved young man".

There are "serious questions to answer" and the government is supporting the police watchdog to "get to the bottom" of what happened, he says - including "how accusations of racism informed police thinking".

But there is "no justification for more violence and disorder" and attacks on police overnight in Southampton are "disgraceful", he says.

Anyone found engaging in disorder will "meet the full force of the law", he says, and calls this a time "for serious work, not rage".

For context: Southampton saw violence and disorder overnight, after protesters clashed with police near where 18‑year‑old Henry Nowak was fatally stabbed. Two people were arrested and 11 officers injured.

It's just gone 12:00 BST and Keir Starmer is on his feet for Prime Minister's Questions.

We'll bring you all the key lines here and a reminder that you can watch live at the top of the page.

Image source, House of Commons

A former chief superintendent for the Metropolitan Police has warned against politicians "taking advantage" of Henry Nowak's murder.

Dal Babu tells the BBC's Politics Live that the investigation into Nowak's murder should not take "advantage of the situation" for politicians, and yet "certain individuals" have done so.

He says that they have "suddenly come to the idea" that race training has had a "disproportional impact" on how Nowak was treated, without "looking at the facts".

He says Nowak's handcuffing and arrest when he had been stabbed comes down to a "fundamental operational failure", adding that the public "need to have more information coming in before we can come to any decisions".

Image source, PA Media

The drop of the second tranche of files relating to Lord Peter Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US has dominated headlines in Westminster this week - but it's not the only story.

• The UK will not have to pay Rwanda millions of pounds over the collapsed asylum agreement cancelled by Starmer after he came into office, an international court ruled
• Wes Streeting has suggested cutting employers' National Insurance (NI) could be a way to incentivise businesses to hire more young people, and that some new North Sea drilling for oil and gas should be allowed to raise more tax
• Nicola Sturgeon said she feels like she is "serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit" after her estranged husband admitted embezzling the SNP as chief executive - Peter Murrell used charge cards, bank transfers and fake invoices to embezzle more than £400,000 from the party
• An inquiry by MPs into the student loan system in England has begun, as new research published separately suggests a third of people now think a university degree isn't worth the time and money

Image source, PA Media

Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds spoke to the BBC yesterday about the file release.

He was asked about Pat McFadden's comments that, when speaking with other Labour politicians, "Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others'."

For context, McFadden was a Cabinet Office minister at the time, but has since been appointed as work and pensions secretary.

Thomas-Symonds told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Look they are embarrassing, I'm not hiding from that."

But he said the reason the messages are in the public domain is to comply with the Humble Address, which required government transparency.

Asked by BBC Breakfast about comments made by Mandelson in the files that no-one in government knows what Sir Keir wants, Thomas-Symonds said "I don't agree with that view about the prime minister".

He added: "The government is delivering, which was exactly the purpose of the changes the prime minister made last September."

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

The latest release of files relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US has seen a Whatsapp message from cabinet minister Pat McFadden jumped on by opposition parties.

The man who is now work and pensions secretary described conversations he had with other Labour politicians about the welfare system and public spending in a pretty blunt way.

"Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others'," McFadden wrote to Lord Mandelson in May 2025. "They're asking the wrong questions."

Allies of McFadden point out that message was sent before he was in charge of the UK's benefits regime. He was running the cabinet office at the time.

A spokesperson for the work and pensions secretary says: “His only contact with Peter Mandelson since he left government has been to urge him to think about the victims in all this and apologise to them.”

On Monday, Conservative leader Kemi Badeoch responded that "Pat McFadden has said in private what he and the prime minister deny in public".

She argued that Labour is now "the Welfare Party", and added: "They think our taxes are their money to spend, rather than the result of the hard work of the people in our country who deserve so much better."

Image source, Reuters

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been pictured leaving No 10, as he makes the short journey from Downing Street to the House of Commons for Prime Minister's Questions at 12:00 BST.

We'll be covering the back and forth of PMQs right here. You can also watch live at the top of this page.

Reform UK's Robert Jenrick has called for a change in the way policing in the UK is conducted "for good".

Speaking to Times Radio, Jenrick said the case "must be a turning point".

He said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is too "squeamish" about upsetting ethnic minorities to address the issue.

"I just want police officers to treat everyone in this country equally," he saidd, and denied that he was "pitting white Britons against ethnic minority Britons".

On Tuesday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage suggested people should respond to Henry Nowak's case with "pure cold rage" and said "a false accusation of racism counted higher at that moment than somebody that was dying" after the 18-year-old was handcuffed by police.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for the Labour Party to respond to Henry Nowak's death as seriously as they responded to the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by police in the US in 2020.

A police officer was filmed kneeling on Floyd's neck during his arrest.

Badenoch told BBC Newsnight on Tuesday that when Keir Starmer was leader of the opposition he took the knee, a symbolic gesture against racism, following Floyd's death.

"They were taking the knee for something that happened in another country", she said.

"I want them to take as seriously what is happening in this country, what they did with George Floyd."

Image source, UK Parliament

Yesterday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood addressed MPs about the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.

She described the murder as a "horrifying" and "evil" act, saying what Nowak’s family has gone through was "unimaginable".

She later condemned the "violence and disorder" in Southampton last night - saying it was "completely unacceptable".

Several hundreds of people gathered outside Southampton Central Police Station before moving close to the family home of Vickrum Digwa in St Denys.

"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," Mahmood said in a post on X last night.

"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."

The release of police bodycam footage showing the moments 18-year-old Henry Nowak was handcuffed as he struggled to breathe after being stabbed has sparked outrage among politicians and the public.

Several hundred protesters gathered outside Southampton Central police station on Tuesday evening, however there were later clashes between demonstrators and riot police, which saw officers pelted with missiles.

Here's a quick reminder of how events have unfolded:

• On Monday, Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to life with a minimum of 21 years for the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak
• Bodycam footage from officers who attended the scene was released by Hampshire Police - it showed the moments Nowak was handcuffed as he was telling officers that he had been stabbed and couldn't breathe
• In the footage, one officer can be heard telling Nowak he didn't think he had been stabbed
• Outside court on Monday, Nowak's family called for an investigation into the incident as they underlined they do not want his death to lead to further division
• The attorney general is considering whether to refer Digwa's sentence to the Court of Appeal after receiving multiple requests to do so
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer described it as a "shocking" case - adding it was right that the Independent Office for Police Conduct looks into the police response
• As other political leaders issued their own reactions, a source told the BBC that the National Police Chiefs' Council would be reviewing wording in anti-racism guidelines
• Last night, hundreds gathered in Southampton over the incident but the scenes descended into violence as chairs, cans and flares were thrown at officers in riot gear

Bodycam footage showing Henry Nowak's final moments was described as "harrowing" by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he said there are "serious questions for the police to answer".

The footage has sparked outrage and led the police watchdog to carry out an independent investigation into how Nowak's murder was handled.

Starmer said the question of "how accusations of racism informed decision making" must be addressed, but stressed his thoughts were with Henry's family.

He said Henry's "life has been stolen" and his family were understandably devastated.

Andrew Humphrey
Live page editor

Westminster is set for its weekly chance for MPs to pose questions to the prime minister, with the police's handling of the murder of Henry Nowak dominating headlines.

Questions have been raised about what role police anti-racism guidance played in the arrest of Nowak, who was handcuffed despite telling police that he had been stabbed and couldn't breathe.

Bodycam footage from officers who attended the scene has drawn strong reaction from politicians, including the PM, who said it raised serious questions for the police.

Protests in Southampton last night have been condemned by the home secretary, after 11 officers and a police dog were injured, and two people were arrested.

The fallout of the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US has also continued to drive the news agenda this week, with the latest release of files about how he was appointed to the role on Monday.

The disclosure has also included messages from Mandelson that criticise the No 10 operation, Labour MPs and the prime minister himself.

We'll bring you the latest updates and analysis and you can click Watch live at the top of this page from 12:00 BST to see coverage from the Commons.