Nigel Farage is set to meet JD Vance during the US Vice President’s visit to the UK, The i Paper understands. Vance, who travelled to Britain last week for a family holiday in the Cotswolds, reportedly met shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick and shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp on Tuesday.
A Conservative spokesperson told the BBC that Kemi Badenoch and Vance planned to speak this week, but opted out of an in-person meeting due to their conflicting schedules. Reform UK would not comment on whether Farage and Vance have arranged a meeting, but it is understood the Reform leader will spend time with the US Vice President during his visit.
Vance and Jenrick have previously expressed similar views on a range of topics, including opposing equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives, as well as raising concerns about the erosion of free speech in the UK. With the Conservative Party facing difficulty to regain traction, consistently trailing behind Labour and Reform in the polls, Jenrick is widely believed to still harbour leadership ambitions. He was defeated by Badenoch in the Conservative leadership contest last year.
Responding to claims Vance snubbed Badenoch, his press secretary Taylor Van Kirk said the Vice President “specifically tried” to see the Tory leader “but a meeting was not possible due to their conflicting schedules”. Vance arrived in the UK last week and has been pictured visiting the Daylesford farm shop near Chipping Norton.
He spent the weekend with David Lammy. The pair held talks about the escalating situation in Gaza and other international affairs at the Foreign Secretary’s residence, Chevening House, in Kent on Friday. Residents in the hamlet of Dean in Oxfordshire have faced disruption as a result of Vance’s visit, while protests have also been taking place to oppose the Vice President’s trip. About 100 people held a “not welcome” party organised by the Stop Trump Coalition in Charlbury on Tuesday.
Vance’s trip comes before Donald Trump, who travelled to Scotland for a private visit in July, is scheduled to make a historic second state visit to the UK next month. Ahead of the visit, Trump will hold a crunch summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska later this week to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
