Keir Starmer hit back against criticism levelled by US vice president JD Vance over free speech in the UK during a White House press conference.
In the Oval Office at the start of his Washington visit, Vance was invited by president Donald Trump to expand on his recent criticism of the UK, after which he insisted the government had infringed upon free speech.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, Vance launched a scalding attack on European democracies, including the UK, saying the greatest threat facing the continent was not from Russia and China, but “from within”.
Vance argued that the “basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular” were under threat.
Trump was initially asked by a reporter for his opinion on Vance’s remarks, but he instead called on his vice president to respond.
Vance said: “We do have a special relationship with our friends in the UK and of course several of our European allies, but we also know that there have been infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British… but also affect American technology companies and by extension American citizens.
“So that is something that we will talk about today at lunch.”
But the prime minister was quick to reject the criticism, saying “we’ve had free speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom, and it will last for a very, very long time.”
He added: “Certainly, we wouldn’t want to reach across US citizens and we don’t and that is absolutely right, but in relation to free speech in the UK, I’m very proud of our history there.”
Addressing questions from reporters, Trump also appeared to confirm he will back Starmer over the contentious Chagos Islands deal.
Asked about the topic, Trump said: “We’re going to have some discussions about that very soon and I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well.
“They’re talking about a very long-term, powerful lease, a very strong lease, about 140 years, actually. It’s a long time. I think we’ll be inclined to go along with your country.
“It’s a little bit early, we have to yet be given the details, but it doesn’t sound bad.”
Last week, Trump sparked international outrage by describing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator”, citing the lack of elections held in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.
At the start of his meeting in the Oval Office with Starmer, he was asked if he would be willing to repeat that statement.
The US president replied: “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
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