US Vice-President JD Vance has acknowledged disagreements with the UK over Gaza policy, including the recognition of a Palestinian state, ahead of a bilateral meeting with Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening House. Speaking before the meeting on Friday, Vance said the US has no plans to recognise a Palestinian state, contrasting with UK policy.
Despite the discord, the meeting was described as convivial, with the two politicians bonding over their Christian faith and difficult childhoods. They were filmed fishing for carp together, with Vance joking that their varying success was the 'one strain on the special relationship'.
Vance is staying at Chevening with his family for the weekend before a holiday in the Cotswolds. The formal bilateral covered Gaza, Ukraine, and US-UK trade and technology policy, with a government source calling it 'constructive'.
Vance also raised concerns about free speech in the UK and the wider West, criticising a trend towards censorship. Lammy responded that political differences are part of democratic joy. The meeting followed Prime Minister Keir Starmer's call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reconsider plans to take over Gaza City, warning of more bloodshed.
