Britain has become a country in which secrecy flourishes and free speech is under threat… JD Vance is right

Cry freedom 

BRITAIN has become a country in which secrecy flourishes and free speech is under threat. 

So we owe thanks to US Vice-President JD Vance for pointing this out to Foreign Secretary David Lammy yesterday. 

Vance has been a long-standing critic of the UK’s creeping attacks on cherished freedoms. 

The sweeping new Online Safety Act has already seen political speech censored online. 

Attempts by the authorities to cover up the background of suspects accused of horrific crimes, or cops going mob-handed to make arrests over “hurty tweets”, are other depressing examples. 

At his meeting with Lammy, Vance warned against governments becoming too keen to censor opinions which they don’t like, or they disagree with. 

He is right that this is a “very dark path” indeed… and one which we continue down at our peril. 

No, minister 

The resignation of Homelessness Minister Rushanara Ali is symptomatic of Labour’s first year in power. 

Sir Keir Starmer at least acted quickly to get Ali to fall on her sword. 

Her position was untenable from the moment we learned she had booted out one group of tenants on the basis the house was being sold — only to soon rent it to somebody else for a jacked-up sum. 

The PM can’t personally be blamed for that woeful misjudgment. But he has now lost a homelessness minister over housing; an anti-corruption minister over allegations of corruption; a health minister over a WhatsApp scandal; and a Transport Secretary over fraud claims in a previous job. 

Ministerial resignations are part and parcel of governing. 

But to have so many in barely a year is more than just embarrassing for the PM. 

It makes an outright mockery of his solemn promise to “end the chaos”. 

More delivery 

THE scandal of migrants being allowed to work openly and illegally on the black market has been going on far too long. 

The Sun’s expose of migrants in asylum hotels breaking the law by working for the likes of Deliveroo and UberEats has finally led to a crackdown by the Government. 

Hundreds of arrests have been made across the UK in the last week. 

But there are still plenty of e-bikes parked up outside the scores of taxpayer-funded hotels nationwide. 

The raids must continue. 

And ministers must immediately deport any migrant found guilty of working illegally.