JD Vance spars with British prime minister over free speech censorship during Oval Office meeting
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer discusses his meeting with President Donald Trump, security guarantees for Ukraine and ending the Israel-Hamas war on ‘Special Report.’
Things got awkward when Vice President JD Vance remarked on his previous comments on Britain’s free speech environment, just feet away from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during an Oval Office meeting.
Vance doubled down on his comments at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month when he said he feared that free speech was “in retreat” in Europe.
“To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election,” Vance said.
UK’S STARMER MEETS TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE AMID DIVIDE BETWEEN US, EUROPE OVER UKRAINE PEACE DEAL
President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, center left, alongside Vice President JD Vance, right, and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, left, at the White House. (Carl Court/Pool via AP)
On Thursday, as Starmer met with President Donald Trump and administration officials at the White House, Vance stood by his comments.
“I said what I said, which is that we do have, of course, a special relationship with our friends in the U.K. and also with some of our European allies,” he said.
“But we also know that there have been infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British. Of course, what the British do in their own country is up to them,” Vance added. “But (it also affects) American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens. So, that is something that we’ll talk about today at lunch.”
VANCE EVISCERATES ‘SOVIET’-STYLE EUROPEAN CENSORSHIP IN ADDRESS TO MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE
Trump shakes hands with Starmer at the White House. (Carl Court/Pool via AP)
Starmer, seated just a few feet away next to Trump, quickly chimed in.
“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,” the Labour Party politician said.
“Certainly, we wouldn’t want to reach across, and [regulate] U.S. citizens, and we don’t, and that’s absolutely right,” he told Vance. “But in relation to free speech in the U.K., I’m really proud of that — our history there.”
In Munich, Vance cited the case of a British army veteran who was convicted of breaching a safe zone around an abortion clinic where he silently prayed outside.
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He decried the enforcement of buffer zones, alleging that the Scottish government had warned people against private prayer within their own homes.
Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.
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Vance doubled down on his remarks from earlier this month on censorship in Europe
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JD Vance tangles with British PM Starmer over ‘infringements on free speech’ in contentious Oval Office meeting
The “special relationship” between the US and the UK got awkward Thursday, when Vice President JD Vance confronted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office over the longtime American ally’s weakening of freedom of speech.
Earlier this month, at the Munich Security Conference, Vance had riled European opinion by decrying what he called “the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values—values shared with the United States of America.”
Vance stood by his comments Thursday when pressed by a reporter, saying: “I said what I said, which is that we do have, of course, a special relationship with our friends in the UK and also with some of our European allies.
“But we also know that there have been infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British, of course, what the British do in their own country is up to them,” the 40-year-old added, “but also affect American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens. So that is something that we’ll talk about today at lunch.”
Seated just a few feet away from Vance, Starmer chimed in to defend his country’s speech codes.
“We’ve had free speech for a very, very long time in in the United Kingdom, and it will last for a very, very long time,” said the 62-year-old Labour Party politician.
“Certainly, we wouldn’t want to reach across [and US citizens, and we don’t, and that’s absolutely right,” he told Vance. “But in relation to free speech in the UK, I’m really proud of that — our history there.”
In Munich, Vance had rattled off examples of criminal convictions in Europe for what would be protected First Amendment activity in America, including the case of 51-year-old British Army veteran and physiotherapist Adam Smith-Connor, who was ordered to pay £9,000 ($11,346) for violating a buffer zone while praying outside of an abortion clinic.
“I wish I could say that this was a fluke—a one-off, crazy example of a badly written law being enacted against a single person,” Vance lamented at the time. “In Britain, and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.”
Prior to Starmer’s visit to the White House, Vance had indicated that he intended to discuss his concerns about free speech with the British PM, who took office in July 2024.
Starmer also briefly tangled with Trump during the Oval Office meeting after the president groused that European countries have plans to “get their money back” from their aid to Ukraine.
What do you think? Be the first to comment.
“We’re not getting all of ours,” the PM said. “I mean, quite a bit of ours was gifted. There were some loans, but mainly, it was gifted, actually.”
Starmer is the second major European leader to visit the White House this week, after Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron Monday.
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‘I said what I said’: JD Vance doubles down ‘infringements on free speech’ jibe on UK PM; Starmer reacts
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