JD Vance has taken aim at the UK and Europe over what he claimed was "backsliding" free speech and democracy. The US vice president held no punches when addressing European leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday. "When I look at Europe today, it's sometimes not so clear what happened to some of the Cold War's winners," he said, taking the leaders to task on issues like migration, security and democracy.
"And perhaps most concerningly, I look to our very dear friends, the United Kingdom, where the backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs.". Mr Vance criticised the country for the jailing of 51-year-old Adam Smith-Connor - who was imprisoned for breaching a safe zone around an abortion clinic in Bournemouth. "After British law enforcement spotted him and demanded to know what he was praying for, Adam replied simply, it was on behalf of the unborn son he and his former girlfriend had aborted years before," Mr Vance said.
The conviction was not related to Smith-Connor's thoughts while he was in the safe zone. Mr Vance's speech was the latest wake-up call for the UK and European nations in terms of security and the Trump administration's new foreign policy aims. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
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