{"id":340676,"date":"2025-08-13T08:27:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T08:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/340676\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T08:27:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T08:27:13","slug":"trump-administration-accuses-uk-of-failing-to-uphold-human-rights-trump-administration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/340676\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump administration accuses UK of failing to uphold human rights | Trump administration"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trump administration has accused the UK of backsliding on human rights<\/a> over the past year, citing antisemitic violence and \u201cserious restrictions\u201d on free speech.<\/p>\n

The annual US state department assessment, which analyses human rights conditions worldwide, highlighted laws limiting speech around abortion clinics, as well as the way government officials \u201crepeatedly intervened to chill speech\u201d online after the 2024 Southport attack.<\/p>\n

The report stated: \u201cThe government sometimes took credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, but prosecution and punishment for such abuses was inconsistent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report cited the \u201csafe access zones\u201d around abortion clinics, which it said \u201ccould include prohibitions on efforts to influence \u2026 even through prayer or silent protests\u201d.<\/p>\n

Criticism over the handling of free speech \u2013 in particular relating to regulations on online hate speech \u2013 was also directed at the governments of Germany and France.<\/p>\n

A UK government spokesperson told the BBC: \u201cFree 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The document<\/a>, previously seen as the most comprehensive study of its kind, has been significantly rewritten and downscaled by the Trump administration, including in areas such as government corruption and LGBTQ+ rights.<\/p>\n

It spares criticism for US allies such as Israel and El Salvador while escalating disapproval of perceived foes such as Brazil and South Africa. The document was published after months of delay amid reports of internal dissent at the state department over its contents.<\/p>\n

It echoed claims previously voiced by the US vice-president, JD Vance. In February, he criticised the UK over a legal case in which a former serviceman, Adam Smith-Connor, who silently prayed outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth in 2022, was convicted of breaching the safe zone<\/a> around the centre.<\/p>\n

In a wider attack on what he suggested was a shift away from democratic values across Europe, Vance claimed the \u201cbasic liberties of religious Britons, in particular\u201d were under threat.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the Munich security conference, Vance said that the US\u2019s \u201cvery dear friends the United Kingdom\u201d appeared to have seen a \u201cbackslide in conscience rights\u201d.<\/p>\n

Vance is taking a holiday<\/a> in the Cotswolds in south-west England, an area that is becoming increasingly popular with the rich and famous.<\/p>\n

During the trip, he has been hosted by David Lammy for talks about Gaza and other international affairs at the foreign secretary\u2019s official residence, Chevening, in Kent. Vance also invited the Conservative shadow justice secretary<\/a>, Robert Jenrick, and the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, to a meeting at the house where he is staying.<\/p>\n

The report also said the government \u201ceffectively\u201d enforced laws around freedom of association and the rights of workers.<\/p>\n

The UK government has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Trump administration has accused the UK of backsliding on human rights over the past year, citing antisemitic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":340677,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5018,3,4],"tags":[748,393,4884,1144,712,16,15,1764],"class_list":{"0":"post-340676","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-britain","8":"category-uk","9":"category-united-kingdom","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-northern-ireland","14":"tag-scotland","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-wales"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115020512841579423","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=340676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/340677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=340676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=340676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=340676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}