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BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- 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.
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
UK should not follow down Biden's ‘dark path' on free speech, says Vance
Nato member leaders 'got a little too comfortable with censoring' opinion, the US vice president has claimed as he took questions about freedom of speech in the UK. JD Vance accused former president Joe Biden's administration of leading the USA down 'a very dark path', which he said other countries should steer clear of. Advertisement The Republican met with UK foreign secretary David Lammy at Chevening House in Kent, where the pair went carp fishing. Asked whether Mr Vance had a 'message' for Mr Lammy on free speech, the vice president replied: '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. Advertisement 'Obviously, I've raised some criticism and concerns about our friends on this side of the Atlantic, but the thing that I say to the people of England, or anybody else, to David, 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 is a very dark path under the Biden administration.' UK foreign secretary David Lammy fishes with US vice president JD Vance at Chevening House in Kent (Suzanne Plunkett/PA) Mr Vance has previously attacked what he described as a 'backslide in conscience rights' in the UK. At the Munich Security Conference in February, he referred to buffer zones near abortion clinics, where certain acts of protest are not allowed within defined boundaries. Advertisement 'In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat,' the vice president said at the time. In the White House earlier this year, Mr Vance said he knew of 'infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British' but also US technology firms, 'and, by extension, American citizens'. Sir Keir Starmer, who was sat with him, responded by saying London 'wouldn't want to reach across US citizens'. The UK prime minister said: '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.' Advertisement During their exchange in Kent, Mr Lammy said he had 'commonalities' with Mr Vance. 'The cut and thrust of politics is what excites me, and the truth is, I was blessed to go to Harvard, and I think the vice president went to a university not quite as good, Yale,' the Foreign Secretary said. 'So we enjoy that political debate and discussion particularly. 'But, you know, there are areas where there are actually joint concern, we both have a joint concern about outcomes for working people, that is the truth of it.' Advertisement Mr Lammy later added: 'There are commonalities and there are differences and that is the joy of living in democracies like ours.' Mr Vance visited the UK foreign secretary's Chevening retreat while on holiday in the UK.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
First Fishing, Then Foreign Policy for Vance and Lammy at a British Estate
Like many friends from different orbits, Vice President JD Vance and Britain's foreign minister, David Lammy, got together on Friday to bond over a hobby — fishing — before sitting down to hash out their differences, in their case, how the United States and Britain should respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Mr. Vance, a Republican whose public positions rarely diverge from President Trump's, acknowledged there was daylight between him and Mr. Lammy, a Labour Party minister under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, starting with Britain's announcement last week that it would recognize the state of Palestine unless Israel agreed to a cease-fire with Hamas. 'We have no plans the recognize a Palestinian state,' Mr. Vance told reporters as he met Mr. Lammy at the foreign secretary's grand official country residence, Chevening House, southeast of London. 'I don't know what it would really mean to recognize a Palestinian state, given the lack of a functional government there.' Mr. Vance said Mr. Trump was sticking to his goal of making sure Hamas is never again able to strike Israeli civilians as it did on Oct. 7, 2023, though he said the president had been moved by the 'terrible images' from Gaza and wanted to ease the suffering. 'We may have some disagreements about how to accomplish that goal, and we'll talk about that today,' Mr. Vance said, who was on the first day of a family vacation in Britain. Israel's decision to expand its military campaign in Gaza could lay bare further differences between the United States and Britain. Mr. Vance declined to comment on the announcement, while Mr. Lammy said Britain was concerned it would worsen the humanitarian crisis and put the remainder of the hostages being held by Hamas in grave danger. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
U.S. has ‘no plans' to recognize Palestinian state, Vance says before talks with U.K. foreign secretary
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, left, and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance during a meeting at Chevening House in Kent, England, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (Suzanne Plunkett/Pool via AP) LONDON — U.S. Vice-President JD Vance met with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Friday at a stately home south of London, with the two leaders saying the agenda includes global economics and the Israel-Hamas war and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Taking questions from reporters before their talks, Vance addressed the U.K. decision to recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, saying he wasn't sure what such recognition would even mean, 'given the lack of a functional government there.' Asked whether Trump had been given a heads up on Israel's announced intent to occupy Gaza City, Vance said he wouldn't go into such conversations. 'If it was easy to bring peace to that region of the world, it would have been done already,' he said. The meeting comes amid debates between Washington and London about the best way to end the wars between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Hamas. It's also taking place as the United Kingdom tries to come to favourable terms for steel and aluminum exports to the U.S., and the two sides work out details of a broader trade deal announced at the end of June. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he hoped to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump next week, comments that came a day before Trump's deadline for Moscow to show progress in ending the nearly three and a half year war in Ukraine. While Trump has focused on bilateral talks with Putin, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders have stressed that Ukraine must be part of any negotiations on ending the war. The U.S. and Britain, which have historically close ties known as 'the special relationship,' have also disagreed on their approach to ending the war in Gaza. The meeting took place at Chevening, an almost 400-year-old mansion surrounded by 3,000 acres (about 1,200 hectares) of gardens that serves as the foreign secretary's official country residence. About two dozen protesters were spotted on the road before the turnoff to the stately home. A few were wearing keffiyeh scarves and another held up a round sign that had a meme making fun of Vance printed on it. Vance and Lammy, who come from opposite ends of the political spectrum but have made a personal connection through their hardscrabble childhoods and Christian faith, While Lammy is a member of the left-leaning Labour Party and Vance is a conservative Republican who supports Trump's 'America First' agenda, the two men have bonded in recent months. Lammy told the Guardian newspaper that the two men can relate over their 'dysfunctional' working class childhoods and that he considers Vance a 'friend.' Lammy attended a Catholic Mass at the Vance home in Washington earlier this year, and the two men met again at the U.S. Embassy in Rome when he and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner attended the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in May. 'I had this great sense that JD completely relates to me and he completely relates to Angela,' Lammy told the Guardian. 'So it was a wonderful hour and a half.' After spending a few days at Chevening, Vance and his family will head to the Cotswolds, an area that has become popular with wealthy American tourists because of its quaint villages, stone cottages and rural countryside that hark back to old England. The Vance family's trip will include official engagements, fundraising, visits to cultural sites and museums and meeting with U.S. troops, according to a person familiar with Vance's trip who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A host of celebrities descended on the area two weeks ago for the wedding of Eve Jobs, the daughter of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, and Harry Charles, a member of the British equestrian team at last summer's Olympic Games in Paris. The Cotswolds cover about 2,000 square kilometres and parts of five counties in the west of England. Vance and his family have reportedly rented a house in the village of Charlbury, 12 miles west of Oxford, according to British media outlets. 'That area is very fashionable,' Plum Sykes, a socialite and journalist, told London-based newspaper The Times. 'If you wanted to be in the super-hot, super-social Cotswolds, that's where you'd go,' she said. 'There's been this mass exodus from America to the Cotswolds. Americans just cannot get over the charm. Then power and money attract power and money.' ___ Danica Kirka And Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press Meg Kinnard reported from Washington. Michelle L. Price contributed to this report from Washington.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
David Lammy to host US Vice President JD Vance at country residence
Foreign secretary David Lammy is to host US Vice President JD Vance at his official country residence Chevening House, in Kent, on Friday."The vice president and foreign secretary will discuss a variety of topics pertaining to the US-UK relationship," the White House said in a and his family are in the UK on a private family holiday. They are expected to spend most of their break in the Cotswolds and are also reported to be planning a visit to Hampton Court foreign secretaries have traditionally had the use of Chevening, a Grade 1 listed mansion, with gardens that include a lake and a maze. Lammy and Vance have been meeting regularly on official trips since the foreign secretary started in his role last year, and they are reported to have bonded over their shared Christian foreign secretary attended mass at Vance's Washington residence on an official visit in March and is now reported to be repaying the favour by allowing his family to stay at his grace and favour to BBC Breakfast last summer, Lammy said: "Let me just say on JD Vance that I've met him now on several occasions, we share a similar working-class backgrounds with addiction issues in our family."We've written books on that, we've talked about that, and we're both Christians. So I think I can find common ground with JD Vance."The two are expected to hold a bilateral meeting before being joined by their families at vice president's UK visit comes a few weeks after Donald Trump travelled to Scotland, on a private visit to his golf met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as well as EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, agreeing a trade deal with the bloc, and will return for a full state visit in September. Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
