For Britons, saying sorry has often felt less like a choice than a national instinct.
But concern about giving offence has grown so intense that many fear free expression is being quietly squeezed — and voices in the US are increasingly weighing in.
Vice President JD Vance, rarely one to avoid a culture-war flashpoint, has been especially outspoken, criticising UK government proposals to bar under-16s from social media as another sign, in his view, of creeping online censorship.
What some might dismiss as American interference, however, has also been received by others as a timely intervention.
Vance has been particularly forceful in condemning what he calls Britain’s “retreating” commitment to free speech, arguing the country has too often yielded to fashionable progressive causes while drifting into controversy.
The killing of 18-year-old Henry Nowak has been cited as one stark example. The student was stabbed to death by Asian attacker Vickrum Digwa and, as he lay dying, was handcuffed by police who initially treated Nowak as the suspect rather than the victim. It later emerged that Digwa had falsely alleged Nowak had racially abused him and claimed he acted in self-defence, rather than the reverse.
Drawing comparisons with the 2020 murder of George Floyd in the United States, Vance highlighted what he saw as a striking difference in the public response.
“Each time a life like his is lost, the proper response – the only response – is righteous anger,” Vance wrote on X, in an apparent swipe at what he viewed as a far quieter reaction in Britain compared with the Black Lives Matter demonstrations more than five years ago.
Never one to stay in his lane, Vice President JD Vance has been particularly vocal hitting out at UK government plans to ban social media for users under 16 – yet the latest evidence of Big Brother online censorship
Stabbed to death by Asian assailant Vickrum Digwa, Henry Nowak (above) lay dying while handcuffed by police who assumed the 18-year-old student was the offender rather than the victim
Digwa, as was later revealed, had falsely claimed he had been racially abused and had acted in self-defense – rather than the other way around
Vance was right; the condemnation over Nowak’s death was more of a whimper than riot.
Predictably, Vance was accused of stirring up division by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. OK, the Prime Minister may have a point. But allegations of ‘divisiveness’ have become an all-too-common charge to pin on anyone highlighting double standards.
Of which there are sadly many.
You see, while the UK political elite were busy kneeling for Black Lives Matter – there’s little doubt they forgot to stand up for equally important causes. Particularly right here at home.
Just ask the victims of the ‘grooming gangs’ scandal that saw mainly Pakistani men target underage white girls as young as 11 for sex. This sorry saga was allowed to play out for decades with victims ignored and blamed, opportunities missed by head in the sand authorities fearful of being seen as racist.
Texas is a long way from England, but Elon Musk, another loud voice from across the pond, took valid swipes that ramped up the pressure on the British Government. His drip feed of disses on X has been credited by many for forcing a government U-turn on holding a public inquiry into the Grooming Gangs.
This week, the Rape Gang Inquiry was finally published. The report claims the number of sexual assault victims could be as high as 250,000. Although the Inquiry features powerful survivor testimonies, it has mostly found deafening silence in the UK.
And even when the stakes are lower, the subject matter far less sensitive, some form of censorship appears never far away.
Britain’s ‘grooming gangs’ scandal saw mainly Pakistani men target underage white girls as young as 11 for sex (Pictured: Headshots of men convicted of abusing young girls)
Elon Musk took valid swipes that ramped up the pressure on the British Government to investigate the ‘grooming gangs,’ which resulted in a recent inquiry
In truth, airing any punchy opinion in modern Britain can be problematic. We’re terrified of causing offence but at the same time super quick to be offended. Far worse, even the most well-meaning among us lean into a reactive cancel culture that is trickling through every part of society.
My own village in West Sussex isn’t immune. It’s the sort of quaint idyl depicted in a Hallmark Christmas movie and like any small community is anchored by a church, village shop and a pub – which I’m now banned from.
My crime? Making the innocuous observation in an article that a favorite pub, The Swan Inn, had priced out many of the local people and was catering more for the Jaguar-driving visitors.
‘This will be your last drink here,’ announced the manager with a death stare like Michael Corleone ordering a hit on a rival mafia clan.
‘We’ve read the article, you’re not welcome.’
In a similar vein my thoughts on how village churches could benefit from being more welcoming and less cliquey saw me harangued by members of the community clearly unable to accept any point of view divergent from their own.
Laughably these are the sort of people whose social media feeds are full of ubiquitous ‘be kind’ and ‘respect other opinions’ platitudes.
And we can’t overlook the irony that when dear old Blighty does get a little more vocal, it’s usually in the form of some self-flagellation to attack our national identity and values.
Contrast that with America, where the Oval Office proudly displays a bronze bust of Winston Churchill, one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century. Meanwhile, back on home turf in Parliament Square, London, a Churchill statue is routinely daubed with graffiti during climate change or Palestine protests.
The protests could not have been rowdier as proud royalist Donald Trump reveled in his unprecedented second invite to Buckingham Palace last September. And the return visit from King Charles to the White House proved a diplomatic masterclass at a time of escalating geopolitical tensions.
As a proud royalist, President Trump reveled in his unprecedented second invite to Buckingham Palace last September. And the return visit from King Charles to the White House proved a diplomatic masterclass (Pictured: King Charles with President Trump at the White House in April 2026)
In Parliament Square in London, a statue of Winston Churchill is routinely daubed with graffiti during climate change or Palestine protests (Pictured: The statue defaced with anti-Zionist graffiti in February 2026)
While in Washington, The King urged US lawmakers to defend democratic values against aggressors in a ‘volatile world’. Sadly, many of the most aggressive ‘aggressors’ are right here in England.
And what did our 77-year-old still cancer-stricken monarch get on his return to home soil? Jeers and placards from anti-monarchy demonstrators taking the shine off most of his official duties.
It’s a shame such energy and efforts couldn’t be channeled into celebrating our once great nation rather than attacking it.
Sadly, we’re now a country increasingly browbeaten by skewed political correctness, gagged and gormlessly following the herd. As we stand silent in the face of murdered young men and sexually assaulted teenagers, no wonder Britain is taking lectures from Uncle Sam.
