Starmer told UK must repeal hate speech laws to protect LGBT+ people or lose Trump trade deal

[highplainsdem]

Source: Independent

Sir Keir Starmer must embrace Donald Trump’s agenda by repealing hate speech laws in order to get a trade deal over the line, sources close to JD Vance have told The Independent.

The warning came after the US vice-president suggested a UK-US agreement may be close, with the White House “working very hard” on it.

He told UnHerd: “I think there’s a good chance that, yes, we’ll come to a great agreement that’s in the best interest of both countries.”

But allies of Mr Vance say he is “obsessed by the fall of Western civilisation” – including his view that free speech is being eroded in Britain – and that he will demand the Labour government rolls back laws against hateful comments, including abuse targeting LGBT+ groups or other minorities, as a condition of any deal.

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Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/trump-jd-vance-trade-deal-free-speech-b2733806.html

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UnHerd, in case you haven't heard of the media outlet Vance chose to speak to, is a RW British news site owned by a hedge fund manager who also owns The Spectator and co-owns RW televisision channel GB News.


Editing to add Timothy Snyder's comment on this news story on Bluesky:

By "free speech," the Americans mean creating a media environment in your country dominated by American digital fascism preparatory to right-wing regime change. Vance essentially said as much in Munich. Give in now, forget about sovereignty later.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

— Timothy Snyder (@timothysnyder.bsky.social) 2025-04-16T16:01:11.833Z

Timothy Snyder
‪@timothysnyder.bsky.social‬

By "free speech," the Americans mean creating a media environment in your country dominated by American digital fascism preparatory to right-wing regime change. Vance essentially said as much in Munich. Give in now, forget about sovereignty later.