US says human rights have ‘worsened’ in UK in past year

London —

The Trump administration has published a report claiming that human rights in the United Kingdom “worsened” over the past year.

The annual report , part of the US State Department’s global survey of human rights, criticized what it said were “serious restrictions” on free speech and threats of violence motivated by antisemitism.

Although other reports in the series claimed human rights also regressed in countries like France and Germany, the list of grievances in the UK was far longer, underscoring the supposed backsliding in the age of social media.

Specifically on freedom of speech in the UK, the US report said that “the government generally respected this right” but that “there were specific areas of concern, including involving restrictions on political speech deemed ‘