Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy says he phoned US Vice President JD Vance to tell him he was “wrong” to link the murder of British teenager Henry Novak by Sikh man Vikram Digva to “mass migration”, saying the case has “nothing to do” with immigration.Speaking to British broadcasters on Sunday, Lammy said he had an “agreed but strong” conversation with Vance after the US vice president suggested Novak’s killing reflected the consequences of a “mass invasion of migrants” into Western countries.According to Sky News, Lammy said he told Vance: “Look, Mr. Vice President, you are wrong about this,” stressing that the matter “has nothing to do with mass migration.”The intervention came after Vance posted on Twitter that the death of 18-year-old Novak was symbolic of broader civilizational decline, arguing that European leaders had failed to stand up against mass migration and “the politics of self-hatred.”Lammy disputed that characterization, saying that Britain’s democratic and legal institutions were functioning well. He said the perpetrator, Vikram Digva, was convicted while multiple reviews into police conduct, sentencing and policing guidance were ongoing.“This young man was British. Let’s be clear about that,” Lammy said, referring to UK-born Degua.Degawa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years after being found guilty of murdering Novak in Southampton last December. During the incident, Digva falsely claimed that he was racially abused and that he acted in self-defense.Public anger grew when bodycam footage showed Novak lying on the ground and telling officers he had been stabbed and was struggling to breathe. While one officer asked, “You’ve been stabbed? Where?”, another responded: “Don’t think you’ve been stabbed, buddy.”Lammy said he also reminded Vance of the wishes of Novak’s family, who have repeatedly urged people not to use this tragedy to stoke social division.“I urged him that tweeting like this is not helpful,” Lammy said, adding that he reminded the vice president of his appeal for peace for the family and his desire to avoid turning the matter into an issue of “division and hatred.”According to Lammy, Vance defended his position by arguing that what he saw as traditional Western values was under attack. However, the British minister said he disagreed with what Vance described as a “caricature” of Western civilization and its decline.Despite the disagreement, Lammy insisted that the two would remain on good terms. The pair have developed an unlikely friendship in recent years and maintain regular contact despite their political differences.Henry Novak’s father, Mark Novak, has repeatedly appealed for his son’s death not to be politicized, saying after the sentencing that the family did not want the tragedy to be used to create “further division, hatred or tension.”