U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Britain on Friday for his summer holiday and used the occasion to caution Western allies against adopting censorship policies similar to those he says the United States experienced under former President Joe Biden.
Speaking alongside UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening House, Vance said both the U.S. and its European allies have become “too comfortable with censoring rather than engaging with a diverse array of opinions.” He stressed that his criticism applies to both sides of the Atlantic, noting, “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.”
Vance’s comments come amid an intensifying debate in Britain over online speech laws. Reports indicate roughly 1,000 people are being arrested each month for social media posts, with police recently detaining activist Tommy Robinson under the Communications Act and the Online Safety Act after he shared a news article. He was later released on bail without charges.
The vice president’s remarks echoed his speech at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, where he drew sharp criticism from European political elites for warning of “Soviet” tendencies in Western governments’ handling of dissent. At the time, Vance stated that free nations must “live” their democratic values, adding, “If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you.”
In Britain, Vance reiterated his belief that censorship undermines the very principles the West claims to defend. Lammy declined to respond directly to Vance’s comments during the joint appearance.
