Overview

• Speaking on Fox News, the US vice president said people should "push back against the crazies" who object to flying the English or Union flags.
• His comments followed the Operation Raise the Colours campaign, after councils in Birmingham and Tower Hamlets removed flags from bridges and lampposts.
• Vance cited cases he views as free-speech infringements, including Adam Smith-Connor being charged after silently praying near an abortion clinic.
• A recent Trump administration report said human-rights conditions in Britain had worsened over the past year, highlighting concerns about expression.
• Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer publicly rejected the critique, saying the UK has long upheld free speech and remains proud of that tradition.