Keir Starmer has insisted there is no “two-tier policing” in Britain amid the mounting political row following the murder of Henry Nowak.
The 18-year-old was stabbed repeatedly by Vickrum Digwa, who then told police attending the incident that he had been the victim of racism.
As Henry lay dying on the ground, and despite telling the officers that he could not breathe and had been stabbed, he was handcuffed and arrested.
Digwa was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years at Southampton Crowm Court on Monday.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed the case was an example of “two-tier justice” and said the public should respond with “pure cold rage”.
But the prime minister’s spokesman said officers “should police without fear or favour”.
He added: “There is no such thing as two-tier policing. We expect high standards from police officers, high standards of conduct, and they must treat everyone equally, regardless of their ethnicity.”
Starmer paid tribute to Henry Nowak at the weekly meeting of cabinet, describing him as “kind, thoughtful and much-loved, whose life had been ripped away in the most appalling circumstances”.
“He said Henry’s killer had shamelessly lied about him and then accused him of racism,” the PM’s spokesman said.
“The prime minister said that in his last, harrowing moments, Henry was then handcuffed by the police as he lay dying on the floor.
“The prime minister said it was right that the [Independent Office for Police Conduct] was investigating the police response, which he said needed to be carried out as quickly as possible and answers delivered. He said the thoughts of the whole cabinet were with Henry’s family today.”
It has also emerged that Lord Hermer, the attorney general, has received “multiple requests” for Digwa’s sentence to be considered under the “unduly lenient sentence scheme”.
The PM’s spokesman said: “Law officers have 28 days to carefully consider the case and that is a decision that is now with them.”
Farage is among those who has written to the attorney general.
In his letter, he said: “This offence, in my view, ought to have been treated as exceptionally serious given Digwa’s wicked lie to the police, which caused them to handcuff rather than help Henry.
“Accordingly, Digwa ought to have received a whole-life tariff.”
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