JD Vance says Britain has been ‘failed by its leadership’
Deputy President JD Vance said Britain had “failed because of its leadership” as it prepares to welcome its seventh prime minister in a decade.
He expressed concerns about the country’s political structure following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation on 22 June and the possibility of former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham being appointed to replace him.
“I see six prime ministers in the last few years” said Sunday Times. “This suggests to me that something is very broken in British politics and people are crying out for really significant structural changes.”
Mr Vance said Britain had “long been failed by its leadership” and could “do much better than what it is doing now”. He hoped that “whoever becomes Prime Minister will figure out how to get Britain back on track”.
He added: “I hope Andy Burnham – if not Andy Burnham then someone else – can pull it off. Because Britain is such a beautiful country, such a wonderful place.”
He admitted he “didn’t know much” about the Manchester politician, but added: “Obviously the UK is one of our closest and most important allies. So whoever the prime minister is, we will work with them and we will work as successfully as we can.”
Nominations for Sir Keir’s successor are expected to open on July 9 but Mr Burnham is thought to be certain to win.
Speaking ahead of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, Mr Vance reiterated the importance of Britain’s relationship with the US and said he had a “special affection” for the country.
“Honestly, I think as much as I care about this because of mutual interests and American alliances, I also care about it because Britain is more culturally familiar to me than any other country on Earth other than my own,” he explained.
His comments followed months of tensions between the United States and Europe over a range of disagreements, from President Donald Trump’s attempt to take Greenland to the US-Israeli war against Iran to a perceived lack of support from NATO on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Last year, the vice president made controversial comments at the Munich Security Conference, accusing Europe of opening “the floodgates” to immigrants, and took umbrage over the death of Henry Nowak, saying he “died the way a civilization dies: abandoned and handcuffed by authorities who neither trusted nor cared about him.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also supported these words, accusing the UK of “double-step policing”.
A statement by Downing Street following the comments said: “Our politics must bring people together, even in the most appalling circumstances. This is who we are as a country.” The statement was read.
Mr. Vance sought to explain those comments by saying, “When the President or I or Secretary Rubio goes into European institutions and encourages people to be better, it comes from that perspective of love and admiration. Even though sometimes what we say is provocative.”
