Thursday’s meeting in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer produced a viral moment as Vice President J.D. Vance was asked to comment further on his remarks made about Great Britain and free speech.
For context, Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Feb. 14. In just under 20 minutes, Vance spoke about free speech — or the lack thereof — in Europe, telling the audience, “In Britain, and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.”
Footage of the speech has been uploaded to YouTube, and a transcript of the speech can be found here.
Fast forward to Trump’s meeting with Starmer Thursday, which Vance joined. The vice president — with the prime minister in the room — was asked for further comment on his remarks from Munich.
.@VP JD Vance defends his Munich remarks: “We do have a special relationship with our friends in the U.K…but we also know there have been infringements on free speech…”
British Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer: “We’ve had speech for a very, very long time in the United Kingdom.” pic.twitter.com/cflae6waRz
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 27, 2025
A reporter asked Trump, “In his remarks at the Munich Security Conference, Vice President Vance condemned free speech violations in the U.K.. Could you respond? What is your message?”
Trump turned the floor over to Vance to respond.
“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. 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 — but also affect[s] American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens,” Vance said, motioning to Starmer.
Starmer felt the need to jump on that remark as he tried to defend his country’s record on free speech.
“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,” Starmer said.
“In relation to free speech in the U.K., I’m very proud of our history there,” he told the reporter, attempting to provide a rebuttal.
Starmer did not seem to be expecting Vance’s comment, and his response did not provide any substance beyond the usual politically charged assurances that things are OK and there’s no need to worry.
To dig further into those statements, what “free speech” is Starmer referring to?
Better yet, what, on those grounds, could he possibly be proud of?
In Munich, Vance mentioned 51-year-old Adam Smith-Connor, who in November of 2022 was convicted of “breaching a safe zone” while silently praying outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, England, according to the BBC.
According to Fox News, 51-year-old British army veteran Darren Brady was arrested by Hampshire police in 2022 for reposting an anti-LGBT social media post because it reportedly caused someone “anxiety.”
BBC reported in August 2024 Wayne O’Rourke had been sentenced to three years in prison for social media posts that a U.K. court concluded sparked racial hatred.
The list goes on.
The U.K.’s record for free speech is abysmal.
The prime minister can arrest his own people for voicing their opinions, but he can’t arrest Vance.
Starmer has nothing to be proud of and plenty to answer for.
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