Reform UK vows to ban Sikh kirpans after murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak

A political dispute has erupted over the legal exemption allowing Sikhs to carry kirpans in public after Reform UK pledged to repeal the protection following a recent murder conviction.

The debate was triggered by the case of Vickrum Digwa, 23, who was convicted of murdering 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak in Southampton using a 21cm kirpan, a ceremonial blade carried by some Sikhs as an article of faith. Digwa's mother was also convicted of assisting an offender by helping remove the weapon after the attack.

Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf said the party would abolish the exemption if it came to power, arguing that no one other than law enforcement officers should be allowed to carry bladed weapons in public.

“I don’t care what religion you are. Nobody other than law enforcement will get to carry deadly weapons under a Reform government,” Yusuf wrote on X.

He said Reform would repeal the legal exemption for kirpans and expand stop-and-search powers as part of a wider effort to tackle knife crime.

The proposal was backed by senior Reform figures, who argued that all weapons should be treated equally under the law regardless of religious exemptions.

However, Labour MP Sarah Coombes opposed the call, saying the actions of one individual should not be used to justify restrictions on an entire faith community.

“Both the Tories and Reform are now saying the kirpan should be banned. This is totally wrong,” Coombes said.

“The kirpan is a key article of the Sikh faith. An entire community cannot be tarred by the horrendous actions of one person.”

The exchange has reignited debate over the balance between religious freedoms and public safety. Current UK legislation provides exemptions allowing Sikhs to possess and carry kirpans in recognition of their religious significance.

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