A damning new US report has slammed Britain’s “worsening human rights” record under Keir Starmer. The Express has more.

The official new dossier on Britain’s civil liberties warns that the UK human rights situation has “worsened during the year”, amid “serious restrictions on freedom of expression”. It comes at an awkward time as J.D. Vance holidays in the UK.

The report is a humiliating moment for the UK’s reputation abroad, with Keir Starmer’s government coming under huge fire for its crackdown on freedom of expression in the wake of last year’s Southport killings. The US foreign office report highlights the UK Government calling on companies, including US social media firms “to censor speech deemed misinformation or ‘hate speech’”. It also flags widespread claims of a “two-tier” justice system in Britain following Axel Rudakubana’s murder spree, branding it “an especially grievous example of government censorship, censorship of ordinary Britons”.

Also under fire are the so-called “public spaces protection orders”, which allow councils to limit free speech rights within designated areas such as abortion clinics.

It adds: “These restrictions on freedom of speech could include prohibitions on efforts to influence others when inside a restricted area, even through prayer or silent protests.”

The Online Safety Act, which came into force this summer and forces adults to verify their ages to access certain websites, also comes under fire over the threat to ban the encryption of websites, which therefore threatens user privacy.

The report lashes out at levels of antisemitism in Britain, warning that since Hamas’ brutal October 2023 attack, there has been a “large increase in antisemitic incidents across the UK.” …

The report concludes that there is a “Significant human rights issue” in Britain, with “serious restrictions on freedom of expression, including enforcement of or threat of criminal or civil laws in order to limit expression; and crimes, violence or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism.”

It adds that the Government has been “inconsistent” in dealing with officials who have committed human rights abuses including crackdowns on freedom of speech and expression.

Worth reading in full.