US Vice-President JD Vance met Robert Jenrick during his holiday in the Cotswolds but is not expected to see Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, according to a party spokesperson. The meeting, described as an hour-long one-on-one, took place on Tuesday evening.
A Conservative source said scheduling difficulties prevented a meeting with Badenoch, who has been in Epping and the Isle of Wight this week. Both sides downplayed any suggestion of a snub, though Vance's decision to meet Jenrick, whom Badenoch defeated in the leadership contest, has raised eyebrows.
Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, is seen as harbouring leadership ambitions and has courted controversy with his rhetoric on migration. Vance is also reportedly set to meet Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on Wednesday, though Farage's spokesperson did not comment.
Vance has previously criticised UK policies on equality, diversity, and inclusion, and voiced concerns about freedom of speech and abortion clinic buffer zones. He is on holiday in the Cotswolds with his family.
