US and UK differ on Gaza policy but share common goals, says J.D. Vance

SEVENOAKS, England - Britain and the United States may disagree about how to address

the crisis in Gaza

but they share a common goal in resolving it, Vice-President J.D. Vance said as he met British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Aug 8 in southern England.

Mr Vance, who has previously criticised Britain and its governing Labour Party, landed with his wife Usha and their three children in London before heading to Chevening, the large country residence used by the British foreign minister in Kent.

The visit comes amid increased attention on Mr Vance’s foreign policy views as he emerges as a key figure in President Donald Trump’s administration and

his possible pick as successor.

Asked about

Britain’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state,

Mr Vance said the US and Britain had a common objective to resolve the crisis in the Middle East, adding: “We may have some disagreements about how exactly to accomplish that goal, and we’ll talk about that today.”

Mr Vance reiterated that the US had no plans to recognise a Palestinian state, saying he did not know what recognition actually meant, “given the lack of a functional government there”.

Britain, by contrast, has taken a harder stance against Israel, declaring its intention to recognise a Palestinian state along with France and Canada to put pressure on Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu over the continuing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Close to Chevening House, a small group of protesters had gathered, some waving Palestinian flags and one holding up a sign showing a meme of Mr Vance. Other protests are also planned during the visit.

Asked by a reporter about Mr Trump’s suggestion this week that Mr Vance was his likely heir apparent for the 2028 presidential election, the vice-president said his current focus was to do a “good job” for Americans.

“I’m not really focused even on the election in 2026, much less one, two years after that,” he said, referring to the midterm election in 2026.

Fishing trip

Earlier on Aug 8, Mr Vance and Mr Lammy went fishing in the lake behind Chevening House, appearing relaxed in blue button-down shirts and sharing a laugh.

Mr Vance joked to reporters that the “one strain on the special relationship” between Britain and the US was that all his children had caught fish but that the British foreign minister had not.

“Before beginning our bilateral, the Vice-President gave me fishing tips, Kentucky style,” Mr Lammy said in a post on X.

The pair have developed a warm friendship, bonding over their difficult childhoods and shared Christian faith, according to two officials familiar with the relationship.

“I have to say that I really have become a good friend, and David has become a good friend of mine,” Mr Vance told reporters, sitting beside Mr Lammy.

After spending two nights in Chevening with Mr Lammy, the Vances will travel to the Cotswolds, a picturesque area that is a popular retreat for wealthy and influential figures, from footballers and film stars to media and political figures.

Mr Vance has championed an America First foreign policy and once said the 2024 election victory for Mr Lammy’s centre-left Labour Party meant Britain was “maybe” the first “truly Islamist” country with a nuclear weapon.

Mr Lammy once called Mr Trump a “far right extremist” and a “neo-Nazi” but since coming to power has brushed off his remarks as “old news”.

Mr Vance’s trip will include several official engagements, meetings and visits to cultural sites and a likely meeting with US troops, a source familiar with the planning said.

Mr Trump, who travelled to Scotland for a private visit, is also scheduled for a historic second state visit to Britain in September. REUTERS