The US and UK differ on aspects of Gaza policy — including recognition of a Palestinian state — US vice-president JD Vance suggested as he arrived in England for a summer visit.
Speaking before a meeting with UK foreign secretary David Lammy at Chevening, Lammy’s official country residence, Vance highlighted the policy gap while stressing the two nations’ shared aim of ending the conflict.
“Obviously, the United Kingdom is going to make its decision,” Vance told reporters. “We have no plans to recognise the Palestinian state. I don’t know what it would mean to really recognise a Palestinian state given the lack of functional government there.”
The remarks came ahead of formal talks on Gaza, Ukraine, and US-UK trade and technology policy. A UK government source described the meeting as “constructive.”
Vance and Lammy’s weekend began in a more relaxed setting — fishing for carp in Chevening’s pond. Joking about their “special relationship,” Vance noted that while all his children caught fish, Lammy did not.
The vice-president, visiting with his wife and family before heading to the Cotswolds, praised the UK’s “lot in common” with the US and called for joint efforts to “bring greater peace” globally.
On Gaza, Vance acknowledged “some disagreements about how exactly to accomplish” peace, despite aligned overall goals.
He also addressed past criticism of UK laws, including those creating buffer zones around abortion clinics. On Friday, he said his concerns applied broadly to the “collective west,” warning against “censoring rather than engaging with a diverse array of opinions.” Lammy responded that such differences were “part of the joy of living in a democracy.”
The meeting came just hours after Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to drop plans to seize Gaza City, warning it would worsen bloodshed. Starmer called for a ceasefire, increased humanitarian aid, the release of hostages, and a negotiated settlement. Photo by Template:Wmcu, Wikimedia commons.