Vance and the UK: Friend or foe?

By Charlie Cartwright

Just weeks after Donald Trump’s five-day visit to Scotland, his faithful vice president arrives in the UK for a visit to Chevening House, meeting with his unlikely companion, David Lammy. “Friendship and mutual understanding” were the words uttered by former Prime Minister and war hero Winston Churchill in a 1946 speech during his lecture tour following the end of WWII. Churchill’s cordial relationships with wartime U.S. presidents Roosevelt and Truman, combined with the latter’s Marshall Plan, forged a strong bond as the Iron Curtain rose. However, this ‘special’ relationship has come under strain in recent years. Cracks have shown with several not-so-special partnerships, including Johnson and Wilson, Clinton and Major, and potentially Trump and Starmer, though Vance and Lammy give a different impression.

Vice President JD Vance's scathing criticism of the Labour Party's recent approach to censorship and overreach into the privacy of UK citizens has been striking, most notably at the Munich Security Conference in February. “There have been infringements on free speech that affect not just the British—what the British do in their own country is up to them—but also affect American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens.” An important point to make here is that it seems Vance’s criticism only stretches as far as for the protection of American interests. Vance is not interested in forming long-lasting connections with Lammy and the Labour Party; all he desires is the betterment of American interests. Further, there was no mention of how the degradation of freedom of speech and of press in the UK is paramount to maintaining its democratic values and upholding the rights of citizens. Vance’s role in the special relationship is purely being a placeholder for the protection of American interests. 

Vance likely desires to maintain this relationship to further the States’ influence and economic grip on the UK following the Brexit referendum.

Despite this, Vance’s relationship with Lammy does seem overly genial considering their

ever-diverging political beliefs. The main bone of contention being Vance and Lammy’s views on Palestine. Keir Starmer’s government is set to recognise Palestine in September, unless Israel meets certain conditions. This is a eminently different view from Vance and Trump, who have no interest in recognising Palestine. Despite similar Christian upbringings, which will have espoused ideas of charity and empathy, Lammy has a much more sympathetic take on Palestine. Even with these major disagreements, it is clear both sides are striving to maintain a positive and worthwhile bond. With the UK relying on the U.S. for military support such as with the UK recently purchasing 12 American F-35A fighter jets and the UK’s $11.4bn trade deficit with the USA in 2024, the disparity is clear. Vance likely desires to maintain this relationship to further the States’ influence and economic grip on the UK following the Brexit referendum.

The allure of the English countryside may woo the vice president into continuing his charm offensive with the UK, though local protesters have other ideas.

The deal-breaking question, though, is what impact Vance’s visit will have on UK-US

relations. I would argue that friendlier personal relationships between UK and U.S. camps do improve relations. US and UK relations were at their best in the 1980s with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Reagan supported Thatcher in the Falklands War and Thatcher supported Reagan in the U.S. bombing of Libya in 1986. Comparatively, after Major supported Bush Senior’s re-election bid, his relationship with Clinton was tainted even before Clinton stepped foot in the Oval Office. Similarly, Johnson resented Wilson’s decision to refuse to send troops to the Vietnam War. UK-US relations most certainly improve when characters align such as through more favours given between the nations. Whether Vance’s short visit to Lammy at Chevening House will improve UK-US relations is yet to be known. But friendliness goes a long way in diplomacy, and this is no different. 

JD Vance’s UK trip has seen visits to Conservatives Robert Jenrick and Danny Kruger as well as Reform Leader and Brexit-manifesting Nigel Farage plus other prominent right-wing British figures. One of the reasons the special relationship has held up for nearly eight decades is due to the once similar political outlook and beliefs between respective governments. However, Palestine and censorship are just some of the many disparities. Vance is not interested in forming long-lasting connections with Lammy and the Labour Party; all he desires is the furthering of American prosperity. Vance’s loyalty to Lammy only goes as far as the necessity to have cordial political relationships with current world leaders. In other words, due to his right-wing populist ideas, his true allegiances likely lie outside the Labour Party and in the Conservative and Reform Party. 

While Vance has been critical of the UK government, he has recently chosen to take his

family holiday to the picturesque Cotswolds in August. The allure of the English countryside may woo the vice president into continuing his charm offensive with the UK, though local protesters have other ideas. Indeed, Vance’s trip to Britain bears the hallmark of self-servitude. In light of the multitude of conflicts across the globe, maintaining impassioned loyalties with allies is never a sore sight, whatever the real motives are.

Image: Heute.at