U.S. Vice President JD Vance touched down in Britain on Friday for his summer holiday, and kicked off proceedings by warning Western nations against going down a “dark path” of censorship.
Asked about the state of free speech in the United Kingdom as he sat beside British foreign minister David Lammy, Vice President JD Vance made his criticism implicit but softened the blow by stating that what Europe is doing to itself is only as bad as what the U.S. experienced under former President Joe Biden.
In the brief sit-down with journalists at Chevening, the palatial official country residence of the foreign minister, Vance stood by his views but said he was capable of being critical of the U.S. as well as of allies. He said: “I’ve raised concerns about free speech in the United States of America. I think the entire collective West, the transatlantic relationship, our NATO allies, certainly the United States under the Biden administration, got a little too comfortable with censoring rather than engaging with a diverse array of opinions. So that’s been my view.”
SEVENOAKS, ENGLAND – AUGUST 8: U.S. Vice President JD Vance fishes with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening House on August 8, 2025 in Sevenoaks, England. (Photo by Kin Cheung – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
In reference to his Munich Security Conference speech earlier this year, which well and truly ruffled the feathers of the European political establishment for its clear-eyed condemnation of censorship and political crackdowns on new ideas from outside the globalist middle, Vance continued: “Obviously, I’ve raised some criticism and concerns about our friends on this side of the Atlantic. But the thing that I’d say to the people of England or anybody else, to David [Lammy], is many of the things that I worry most about were happening in the United States from 2020 to 2024.
“I just don’t want other countries to follow us down what I think was a very dark path under the Biden administration.”
Concluding his remarks, Vance invited British government minister Lammy to add his own remarks to the conversation, but received only a sotto voce “no, I’m good” in return.
The comments come as a debate rages in the UK about censorship and government crackdowns on the use of the internet, with a reported 1,000 people a month being arrested for social media posts. Just this week, veteran street organiser Tommy Robinson was allegedly arrested over sharing a Daily Mail article about demographic change in London.
London police confirmed to Breitbart News that an arrest had taken place under the Communications Act and the Online Safety Act, but not specifically what for. No charges were made, and Robinson was released on bail.
Vance’s comments on Friday echo those he made at the Munich Security Conference in February, when he made clear to European elites that the United States can only be a good ally to those nations that are full-throated in their support for freedom, and received a distinctly frosty reception in reply. One senior conference organiser even broke down in tears as he later discussed Vance’s remarks.
Decrying emerging “Soviet” practices in Europe, Vice President Vance told the packed conference hall: “I fundamentally think we are on the same team. We must do more than talk about democratic values, we must live them… If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you, nor for that matter is there anything you can do for the American people”.
He said: “In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.”
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