Two British Anti-Hate Speech Advocates Sanctioned by US State Department – UK Politics Live
Good morning. The festive season is meant for peace and goodwill. However, this morning, tensions in US/UK relations are evident as the Trump administration has sanctioned two British citizens, among others, for allegedly attempting to undermine free speech in America. This development has sparked a Twitter exchange involving Lib Dem leader Ed Davey and a senior US state department official. Let’s delve into the sanctions. Yesterday, Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, released a statement that read:
The State Department is taking significant action against five individuals who have spearheaded organized efforts to compel American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they find objectionable. These radical activists and weaponized NGOs have prompted censorship crackdowns by foreign entities—specifically targeting American speakers and companies. Thus, I have concluded that their entry, presence, or actions in the United States could pose serious adverse foreign policy implications for the United States.
The state department has imposed sanctions on five Europeans. The list includes two British citizens: Imran Ahmed, the CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, and Clare Melford, who heads the Global Disinformation Index. Ahmed previously worked for the Labour Party and has ties to Morgan McSweeney, chief of staff to Keir Starmer. According to Politico’s London Playbook, Ahmed resides in Washington with his American wife and child and is now at risk of deportation. Politico also reports that Melford may have her US visa annulled. Last night, Sarah Rogers, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, posted a thread on X justifying the decision. She noted that the Trump administration aims to combat the “censorship-NGO ecosystem.”
Today, the United States has issued SANCTIONS emphasizing the “red line” I discussed on @GBNEWS. Specifically: extraterritorial censorship of Americans. Today’s sanctions are directed at the censorship-NGO ecosystem.
These sanctions pertain to visas. We aren’t implementing harsh Magnitsky-style financial penalties, but our message is unmistakable: if you dedicate your career to stifling American speech, you are not welcome in the United States.
She also took aim at the Liberal Democrats. None of those sanctioned are current UK or EU officials—however, it is evident that foreign government representatives are actively pursuing the United States. This week, the UK’s Liberal Democrats claimed that President Trump’s National Security Strategy represents “foreign interference” from a “hostile foreign state,” as it accurately identifies mass migration and declining national sovereignty as critical security concerns for Europe.
In reality, Davey did not assert that the national security strategy signifies foreign interference in British politics merely due to its stance on mass migration. He argued that this is because the document explicitly states that US policy for Europe should focus on, among other things, “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations.” In a direct retort to Rogers on X last night, Davey emphasized this point.
Donald Trump has made it his explicit policy to ‘cultivate resistance’ in the UK and elsewhere. So yes, I believe that qualifies as foreign interference.
I will be blogging until around 2pm. If possible, I may even cover something festive.
Published: 2025-12-24 14:07:00
source: www.theguardian.com
