JD Vance is hosting Nigel Farage and Tory frontbencher Robert Jenrick while holidaying in England, according to reports.
The US vice president invited the Tory shadow justice secretary to join him in Oxfordshire on Tuesday and will also meet with the Reform UK leader, The Telegraph reports.
A Tory spokesperson told the paper that Kemi Badenoch and Vance had discussed meeting but “just couldn’t make it work with schedules”.
Jenrick, widely seen as a potential future Tory leader, had a one-on-one chat with Vance at an 18th-century Georgian manor in the Cotswolds before the pair went to a drinks event.
It will further fuel speculation that Jenrick (below) is coming for Badenoch’s job as Conservative leader.
She took over from Rishi Sunak following last year’s historic election defeat. Her time at the top has seen her criticised for failing to make a mark, while Jenrick’s energetic campaigning has often directed the news agenda.
Vance is himself tipped as a successor to Donald Trump, who is barred from running for re-election once his second presidential term is up in 2029.
His meeting with Farage, who is seen as a likely candidate for Britain’s next prime minister, may be read as a sign he is preparing for the eventuality both ascend to the highest political office in their respective countries.
Vance is expected to visit Scotland in the coming days.
