President Trump is set to make a state visit to the U.K. next week, and during that visit, a new technology partnership and trade deal are set to be unveiled.
The Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance, has been sharply critical of Europe's suppression of free speech and censorious legislation targeting certain websites as part of the "Online Safety Act." The criticism is not unfounded; a man was recently arrested during a protest outside a proposed mosque for the "crime" of saying he liked bacon, and comedian Graham Linehan was apprehended by five armed police at Heathrow Airport for his "gender-critical" and "violent" X posts.
Now the Telegraph is reporting that as part of next week's trade deal, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will carve out free speech protections for American companies.
Telegraph reports: "Starmer to bow to Trump by vowing to protect free speech" - reportedly a US-UK trade deal will carve out protections for US companies.
— Preston Byrne (@prestonjbyrne) September 9, 2025
If this reporting is correct, it means that 4chan + Kiwi Farms may have saved the entire Internet.https://t.co/m7aICoaP4b pic.twitter.com/LoSFBPAC4I
US and UK officials have been working on a technology partnership that will include close co-operation on “pillars” such as artificial intelligence and advanced computing.
Discussions about including a passage regarding the value of free speech in draft versions of a memorandum of understanding have been ongoing for several weeks, The Telegraph understands.
It is unclear whether the language will feature in the final agreement but it comes as the White House has been applying consistent pressure on No 10 over censorship concerns.
Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary, flew to Washington earlier this week to agree features of the partnership in meetings with senior White House advisers.
A commitment to preserving free speech would not require watering down online safety laws that have sparked controversy in the US but would be seen as a victory for the White House.
As one commenter on X noted, "What a different time line we'd be on if Kamala were in office. US + Canada would be following the UK's every move."
Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz were openly critical of America's free speech, with Harris lamenting that people like Elon Musk were "directly speaking to millions & millions of people without oversight" and Walz saying "hate speech" and "misinformation" weren't protected by the First Amendment.
Back in August, Rep. Jim Jordan returned from a trip to the U.K. and told fellow lawmakers he was "unpersuaded" that the U.K.'s online safety laws wouldn't threaten Americans' free speech. Last summer, Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley threatened to extradite and imprison Americans over online posts, including Elon Musk. Jordan also held a hearing about "European threats to American free speech and innovation” during which Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage criticized Britain's "awful authoritarian system."
Keir's U.S. Ambassador, Lord Mandelson, said this trade and technology deal is "crucial to stopping China dominating access to 21st century technologies" and that the U.S. and U.K. must "join forces" to challenge China.