A Christian cabinet minister has said he doesn’t agree with JD Vance’s claim that “basic liberties of religious Britons” are under threat.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that the UK and America “don’t have to agree on everything” after the US vice president gave a speech criticising the UK and Europe.
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Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday, Mr Vance claimed that “the backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs”.
He also claimed that “in Britain, and across Europe, free speech I fear is in retreat”.
Asked for his reaction, Mr Reynolds said: “We don’t have to agree on everything and I think that’s one area where we would disagree.
“I speak as a Christian myself. No one is subject to any kind of enforcement from the state for praying in this country.”
In his speech, Mr Vance referred to the conviction of 51-year-old Adam Smith-Connor, who was given a conditional discharge for breaching a safe zone around an abortion clinic in Bournemouth.
Safe zones outside abortion clinics are designed to stop anti-abortion campaigners from leafleting, holding vigils, or showing graphic images to people near the sites.
Proponents of the zones say women using a clinic can feel intimidated and distressed by the presence of someone standing in the area praying, even if they are not speaking – but critics argue the rule undermines the right to freedom of religion and free speech.
Mr Reynolds said that having an abortion “free of intimidation or harassment” is “an important British value”.
His comments struck a different tone to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who told the Sunday Telegraph free speech is “under threat” because the law has “overreached” while policing people’s opinions.
She did not directly address the safe zone remarks but more generally said that she “hates cancel culture”.
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Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel gave a similar response when asked about Mr Vance’s speech, saying that when she was home secretary she had to “effectively battle many of these free speech issues”, citing campuses on universities “silencing various groups and individuals and organisations”.
Asked if she agreed with what Mr Vance said, she told Trevor Phillips: “I agree with the fact that many [countries] have a challenge. There’s always more that we must do to defend free speech.”
‘Too early to talk about NATO divisions’
Mr Vance’s speech reflects a divergence between the UK and US on certain areas – particularly Europe and defence.
However ministers are also trying to stay on the good side of President Donald Trump as he threatens a global tariff war.
Speaking to Trevor Phillips, Mr Reynolds sought to play down divisions with the US over the future of Ukraine.
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Mr Trump has said he doesn’t see any way “that a country in Russia’s position” could allow Ukraine to join NATO, something the UK supports and Ukraine itself wants.
US officials have headed to Saudi Arabia for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine which Europe is not part of – prompting French President Emmanual Macron to hold crisis talks with European leaders which Sir Keir is expected to attend.
Mr Reynolds denied that the UK has parted company with America, saying: “We all want the war to end.”
“I think it’s too early to start talking about divisions between allies. I really would push back very strongly on that,” he said.
He also claimed the UK could act as the “bridge between European allies and our US allies” to help “strengthen that relationship”.
