The Trump administration has accused the British government of “repeatedly” imposing “serious restrictions” on free speech.
A report from the US state department accused Britain of backsliding on human rights in the past year, highlighting the effects of antisemitism and bans on silent prayer and protests outside abortion clinics.
It said that after the Southport attack last year government officials had “repeatedly intervened to chill speech”. It also criticised the Online Safety Act.
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The report — published while JD Vance, the US vice-president, is on holiday in the Cotswolds — said: “The human rights situation worsened in the United Kingdom during the year. Significant human rights issues included credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression, including enforcement of or threat of criminal or civil laws in order to limit expression; and crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism.”
Vance has repeatedly criticised European countries, including Britain, for what he suggested is a shift away from democratic values. He has claimed the “basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular” are under threat.
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The report criticised the use of public space protection orders, which can be used by councils to restrict activities in certain areas, and said there had been “restrictions on political speech deemed ‘hateful’ or “offensive’.”
Referring to prosecutions over social media posts after the Southport murders, the report said: “While many media observers deemed ‘two-tier’ enforcement of these laws following the Southport attacks an especially grievous example of government censorship, censorship of ordinary Britons was increasingly routine, often targeted at political speech.
“In July, a man was jailed and handed an eight-week sentence for posting a meme suggesting a link between migrants and knife crime. In October, an individual was convicted in England for engaging in silent prayer in violation of a ‘safe zone’.”
A UK government spokesman said: “Free speech is vital for democracy around the world, including here in the UK and we are proud to uphold freedoms whilst keeping our citizens safe.”
Sir Keir Starmer has previously insisted to President Trump that Britain upholds the principle of free speech. When Vance claimed there were “infringements on free speech” in Britain during an Oval Office meeting with Starmer and Trump, the prime minister cut in to say: “We’ve had free speech for a very long time, it will last a long time, and we are very proud of that.”
JD Vance went fishing with David Lammy at Chevening
SUZANNE PLUNKETT/REUTERS
Vance has raised the issue of free speech with David Lammy, the foreign secretary, during his holiday in Britain.
In February, Vance criticised the UK over the conviction of Adam Smith-Connor, 51, for failing to comply with a public space protection order at the centre in Bournemouth in November 2022.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Vance said that America’s “very dear friends the United Kingdom” appeared to have seen a “backslide in conscience rights”.
He added: “A little over two years ago, the British government charged [Smith-Connor], a physiotherapist and an Army veteran, with the heinous crime of standing 50 metres from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes, not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own.”
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Trump officials have also expressed an interest in Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor, who was jailed for 31 months over a social media post urging people to set fire to hotels housing migrants after the Southport attack.
In May, the White House said it was “monitoring” her case, adding: “The United States supports freedom of expression at home and abroad, and remains concerned about infringements on freedom of expression.”