US Vice President JD Vance on Friday said that Washington has no plans to recognise a Palestinian state, highlighting a key difference with Britain as the two allies discuss the crisis in Gaza.
Speaking alongside UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening, the foreign minister’s country residence in southern England, Vance questioned the practicality of recognition “given the lack of a functional government there.”
Britain has announced it intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, a position backed by France and Canada, to increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The United States, however, has avoided setting such conditions, with Vance stressing that Washington and London ultimately share “a common objective” in resolving the conflict despite differences over how to achieve it.
The visit comes amid heightened scrutiny of Vance’s foreign policy stance as he emerges as a central figure in President Donald Trump’s administration and is floated as a possible successor.
Asked about Trump’s recent suggestion that he could be his heir apparent in 2028, Vance said his focus remained on “doing a good job” for Americans, adding, “I’m not really focused even on the election in 2026, much less one, two years after that.”
The two men, who have developed a warm rapport despite coming from opposite political traditions, began the day fishing in the lake behind the 17th-century Chevening House. “The one strain on the special relationship is that all my kids caught fish, but the British foreign minister did not,” Vance joked.
A small group of protesters gathered near the estate, some waving Palestinian flags.
After two nights in Kent, Vance and his family will head to the Cotswolds for official engagements, cultural visits, and meetings with US troops stationed in the UK.
– Ends
With inputs from agencies
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