Andrea Jenkyns, the Reform mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, stormed out of a meeting on Thursday with cabinet minister Steve Reed and other metropolitan mayors after a heated discussion about the murder of Henry Nowak and the subsequent civil unrest.
Meeting Breakdown
The meeting, which included the communities secretary and regional leaders, was intended to focus on devolution powers but ended in controversy after a row over the role of social media in exacerbating community tensions. The argument highlights the political tensions that have flared since Nowak's murder by Vickrum Digwa, a Sikh man who falsely claimed Nowak had racially abused him. The incident has sparked far-right demonstrations, leading to violence and arrests.
Starmer's Accusations
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused X owner Elon Musk of fueling tensions through constant posts about the case, and has also criticized Reform leader Nigel Farage for exploiting Nowak's death for political gain.
According to sources, Reed opened the final segment of the meeting by blaming "hostile foreign actors" for using social media to stoke divisions, particularly in Southampton. Oliver Coppard, the Labour mayor of South Yorkshire, echoed this, noting that recent protests have left communities feeling unsafe.
Jenkyns reacted angrily, warning of a "truth bomb" and arguing that social cohesion requires freedom of speech. She accused Labour figures of deflecting criticism of Starmer's handling of the murder case. Steve Rotheram, the Labour mayor of Liverpool, countered by accusing her of being part of a Conservative government that ignored Hillsborough families.
The argument escalated with Tracy Brabin, the Labour mayor of West Yorkshire, leading Jenkyns to mutter something and walk out. Her Reform colleague Luke Campbell stayed behind.
Jenkyns later told the Guardian: "I stood up and calmly argued that true social cohesion is impossible without genuine freedom of speech... We will not solve the deep divisions in Britain by playing political games with leaked, distorted accounts of private meetings."
The row threatened to overshadow the meeting's main purpose: discussing mayoral powers under the Devolution Act. Reed said afterwards: "This government is serious about shifting power out of Westminster and into the hands of our mayors."
