U.S. Vice President JD Vance is spending his holiday with his family in the Cotswolds, a wealthy and scenic part of the United Kingdom. But instead of a calm getaway, his visit has stirred frustration among some residents.
The normally quiet villages around Chipping Norton and Charlbury are now filled with heavy police presence. According to reports, Vance’s large security team even took over parking spaces reserved for disabled people at Daylesford Organic, a popular local spot. Witnesses say the area was completely blocked off during his first full day in England.
Some locals claim things went further than that. Residents of the small village of Dean, where Vance is staying, say police and U.S. Secret Service agents went door-to-door asking for people’s names, personal details, and even their social media accounts.
“We had the police knocking on every door,” one local dog walker told The Observer. “They said it was for Vance’s protection, and the information would go to American security.”
These claims have caused anger among some Britons, who questioned why a foreign security team was collecting personal information from UK citizens.
However, British police deny that such questioning took place. A Thames Valley Police spokesperson told the Daily Mail that they are simply working with U.S. security to keep everyone safe during the Vice President’s stay.
They explained that a small “restricted access” area was set up in Dean, and officers spoke with residents to help them move around during the security operation. Police insisted that no one was required to answer questions and that no one was asked for social media details.
