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BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
The unlikely bond between JD Vance and David Lammy
US Vice President JD Vance is taking his holiday in the UK - a trip which will include visits to the Cotswolds, Scotland and, to kick it all off, a few days staying with Foreign Secretary David Lammy at his grace-and-favour country home, Chevening House in Kent. It would seem an unlikely friendship on the face of it. One grew up in north London, the other in rust-belt Ohio. One is a left-wing advocate of multi-culturalism, the other a conservative who has, albeit jokingly, referred to the UK as "the first truly Islamist country" with a nuclear bomb. Yet, despite their differences Lammy and Vance appear to be the best of friends. As he settled in for a brief chat with the media in the drawing room at Chevening alongside the foreign secretary, Vance spoke warmly of their relationship. "I have to say that I really have become a good friend, and David has become a good friend of mine," he said. "Our families enjoy each other's company very much, which always helps."Chevening is set in 3,000 acres of land, including a maze and lake, which was the first destination for the two families on Friday morning, for a spot of joked this activity put "a strain on the special relationship" with his children all catching carp, while the foreign secretary came away didn't seem bitter, telling the vice president he was "delighted" to welcome him and his family to 115-room Chevening, which he described as "my home".Strictly speaking, the 17th century manor house belongs to the nation, but cabinet ministers, particularly foreign secretaries, are allowed to use it for family getaways or meetings with foreign vice president seemed suitably impressed with his friend's weekend retreat. Vance acknowledged the two men come from "different political spectrums" but said Lammy had been "kind enough to make time on a visit to [Washington] DC, we got to know each other a little bit then".Since that first meeting, when Lammy was in opposition and Vance had just been elected to the US Senate, they have met regularly including at the new Pope's inauguration in May. Last week, Lammy told the Guardian he, Vance and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner bonded over drinks in the Villa Taverna, the US ambassador's residence in Rome. "I had this great sense that JD completely relates to me and he completely relates to Angela. So it was a wonderful hour and a half," he said. "I was probably the shyest of the three."He said that, like Vance, Rayner and himself were "not just working-class politicians, but people with dysfunctional childhoods".Lammy's parents split up during his teens. His father went to the US and Lammy never saw him again. Vance told the story of his own upbringing - including an absent father and a mother with a drug addiction - in his bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy. Despite their trickier starts in life, both ended up at prestigious US colleges. Lammy studied at Harvard, where he met and befriended Barack Obama. Vance went to Harvard's rival Yale - "not quite as good," Lammy joked at Chevening. The two men have also bonded over their Christian faith. Vance converted to Catholicism as an adult and took mass with Lammy when he visited Washington DC earlier this year. The pair have something else in common, although neither want to to draw attention to it: their previous less-than-flattering comments about Donald Trump. JD Vance's past verdict - "reprehensible", "an idiot", "I never liked him".And Lammy's? "A tyrant" and "a woman-hating, neo Nazi sympathising sociopath". Be it political expediency or a genuine change of heart, both have since revised their opinions. But how far do personal relations matter, when there are so many other factors at play - be it national self interest in the case of tariffs, or differences of opinion such as over the situation in Gaza?Bronwen Maddox the CEO of the Chatham House international affairs think tank says they do, "particularly under this administration"."Trump has deliberately personalised these things," she adds. That is why Lammy - despite his natural affiliation with the Democratic Party in the US - was tasked with building bridges with their Republican opponents, even before the general election. Although that might have appeared a tall order, Chair of Republicans Overseas Greg Swenson says his party tend to feel fonder towards the UK than the and Trump have criticised the UK in the past, but Swenson says it "comes from a good place"."Both want what's best for the UK... you never want to see your friend make a mistake." However, if Lammy thinks his friendship with Vance is exclusive he may be vice president is also meeting Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK's Nigel Farage has hinted that he may be as well. In between meeting UK politicians, Vance will be squeezing in a trip to the Cotswolds - something that may infuriate those Americans, such as TV chat show host Ellen DeGeneres, who fled to the area specifically to escape Trump and his acolytes. There have also been reports that singer-rapper couple Beyonce and Jay-Z have been house-hunting in the area. Explaining the appeal of the region to wealthy Americans, writer Plum Sykes told the BBC's PM programme it combines the desire for countryside with the need for glamour. "Americans can't go to Wales and survive in the same way they can in the Cotswolds where you can get a matcha latte and go to a gyrotonics class. "The business of the private jet people at Cotswolds airport has gone through the roof." Vance is reported to be staying in a house, very close to Diddly Squat - the farm and pub belonging to broadcaster Jeremy sets up the possibility of an awkward encounter between the two. Clarkson has previously lambasted Vance, with "a bearded god-botherer" being among his more printable insults. But a friendship might still flower, after all forming unlikely relationships seems to be as fashionable as the Cotswolds at the moment.
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Tighter border controls for Britons going to Europe start within weeks
Britons travelling to Europe will face tighter border rules within weeks. They will need to prove they have a return ticket and medical insurance under the new measures that are due to come into effect on Oct 12. The digital system will mean non-EU passport holders must have a photograph taken along with their fingerprints the first time they travel through it, according to The Times. Luke Petherbridge, the director of public affairs at Abta, the travel trade body, said: 'More people are going to be asked these questions in the future than were in the past because most EES checks [entry/exit system] will be done at a kiosk,' he said. 'Its primary function is digitising the border. If you were to answer one of these questions in a way that you know wasn't aligned with the answer they were looking for, you would be sent to a border guard. You wouldn't necessarily be denied entry.' Travellers will face several questions, including whether they have proof of where they are staying and enough money to cover their trip, a return ticket and medical insurance. Anyone who answers no to the questions posed will be quizzed further by a border officer, who would be able to turn them away. Concerns over 'civil unrest' The EES, which will be in place at automated kiosks in most airports and ferry terminals, will help to flag anyone who risks overstaying in Europe. British travellers without the right to work or live in the EU are only able to stay for 90 days of a 180-day period. The scheme was due to be rolled out in November last year. However, officials in Brussels opted to delay the rollout over concerns by France and other EU members over 'civil unrest' at crowded borders. It led to the October date being put forward last month. The system is being gradually put in place and will be fully operational right across Europe from April 10 next year. A mobile app that countries can opt into using is also being developed so that people can answer questions and upload their picture before they reach the border. The new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) will officially get underway from late 2026. A Home Office spokesman said: 'The Government has been working closely with the European Commission, member states, local authorities and the travel industry to prepare ports for EES. 'We are supporting ports and carriers to ensure EES registration is simple for anyone travelling to the Schengen area,' they added.
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Date that strict rules for Brit holidaymakers heading to Euro hols hotspots will come into force revealed
A DATE has been announced for when new strict rules for Brit holidaymakers heading to Europe will come into force. The EU will soon demand Brits show certain documentation under the strict new border rules set to be introduced within weeks. 2 A new scheme to start from October 12 will require Britons to provide proof of medical insurance, a return or onward, and accommodation before getting through the European border, The Times has revealed. It includes people travelling by ferry or plane who will need to be ready to show this information through the digital system for arrivals. Non-EU citizens will also have to have their fingerprints and photographs taken the first time they use it. Automated kiosks, with the new entry/exit system (EES), will be at most airport and ferry terminals where passengers can complete the process. The EES will flag any arrivals it deems may be overstaying. Additionally, if unable to deliver on any of the requirements, a border officer is can be expected to ask questions and has the power to refuse entry. Post-Brexit rules mean Britons without the right to work or reside in the EU can only stay in Europe for 90 days over a 180-day period. Launch of the scheme has seen some delay to October this year, which was a date set last month. It included plans abandoned for it to be introduced in November last year, after France raised concerns of "civil unrest" at crowded borders. The delay has enabled more time for officials in Brussels implementing the scheme to prepare, with its introduction to come in phases. The Times still report fears of long queues, confusion among passengers and likely problems arising as the system starts out. Each country will have the system in operation at one border point for the first month, which will eventually increase. It is expected the system will be fully in operation by April 10 next year throughout the 29 European countries it is covering. Senior figures in the travel industry are still uncertain how the system will work exactly. This is despite work on the new digital system having started in 2016. Director of public affairs at Abta, Luke Petherbridge, said: 'Its primary function is digitising the border. "If you were to answer one of these questions in a way that you know wasn't aligned with the answer they were looking for, you would be sent to a border guard. "You wouldn't necessarily be denied entry.' He expects more people to be questioned at the border due to EES checks being done at kiosks. The EES will also replace passports being stamped, making it easier for border officers to monitor compliance with lengths of stay with an automatic count produced. People who are detected breaching terms of the Brexit agreement will be rejected. Those travelling by cross-Channel ferries, Eurostar, or Le Shuttle into the continent will complete the EES checks in the UK, due to French border processes being carried out before departure. 106 kiosks have been installed at Folkestone, Getlink, which runs the Channel tunnel. And old dock has been created at Dover to provide a new processing area that is said to be the size of five football pitches. Brussels is also said to be developing a mobile app, which will allow people to upload their pictures and answer questions prior to arriving at the border point. Countries will be able to opt into this capability. Additionally, the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) is expected to begin in late 2026. This will require British citizens without a visa or residency permit of the EU to apply for a €20 waiver before travelling into the zone. It will be valid for three years, similar to the US Esta. Changes are expected to be announced by the Home Office through a public information campaign to inform travellers. According to one spokeswoman, border agents could already start asking for evidence from British passport holders. She said: 'The government has been working closely with the European Commission, member states, local authorities and the travel industry to prepare ports for EES, and we are supporting ports and carriers to ensure EES registration is simple for anyone travelling to the Schengen area.'
