Nigel Farage has said that a riot in Southampton on Tuesday night following the murder of Henry Nowak is "the beginning".

Reform UK's leader defended saying people should respond to the teenager's arrest with “pure cold rage” after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer branded the comments "unforgivable".

Two people were arrested and 11 officers were injured when protesters clashed with police near the site of the 18-year-old fatal stabbing.

Speaking on Times Radio, Mr Farage said division will get far worse because "large numbers of young white males think the police are prejudiced against them".

He added: "The division will get far worse. What you saw in Southampton last night is the beginning.

"If we get large numbers of young white males who think the police are prejudiced against them, goodness knows where we go. This has to end."

When asked about his "pure rage" comment, he said: "I used that term very, very deliberately. Was I angry watching what had happened? Yeah, I bet you were too. Millions of us were. In fact, it's hard to be a human being and not be angry watching it. But I suggested that rage was put in a cold way, not a hot way."

The unrest in Southampton came amid an outcry about the policing response to the murder that took place in December 2025.

The student’s killer, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, told police attending the scene of the stabbing that he had been the victim of a racist attack, while Mr Nowak was handcuffed by police as he lay dying.

Speaking in Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir highlighted the words of Mr Nowak’s father, who said: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred, or tension.”

Sir Keir said: “They’re the words of a grieving father who’s lost his son.

“I think those words have resonated with people across the country. We must not allow this tragedy to be hijacked by anyone who seeks to divide us.”

He added: “His (Mr Farage’s) response has been to appeal for rage, rage. That’s his response to a father who has lost his son and asked for that not to happen.

“Exploiting this tragedy to create grievance and division would be wrong in any circumstances, but to do it when the family are expressly saying ‘please don’t’ is unforgivable. It shows exactly who he is.”

Mr Farage argued that the UK has “two-tier policing” and that officers are told to treat ethnic groups differently.

In body-worn camera footage from the incident, a handcuffed Mr Nowak can be heard repeatedly saying: “I’ve been stabbed”, to which an officer replies: “Don’t think you have, mate.”

While he was speaking in the Commons, the Reform leader was heckled by a number of MPs telling him to condemn the violence in Southampton.

Digwa has been given a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years in prison for stabbing Mr Nowak with a ceremonial knife with a 21cm blade prosecutors said was a kirpan, which he carried as part of his Sikh religion.