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US embassy $500k grant accused of meddling in UK politics

newsAug 8, 202618364

The US embassy in London has invited charities and non-profits to apply for grants of up to $500,000 under a scheme called "Liberty Under Law: The Shared Anglo-American Tradition," seeking "high-visibility public education and civic-engagement programs" to mark the 70th anniversary of the American Bar Association’s Magna Carta memorial at Runnymede. The funding notice gives priority to projects that celebrate "freedom of speech" and "limited government" and asks applicants to show "measurable impact on public discourse, media coverage, and civic engagement regarding the rule of law and democratic norms." Critics accused the scheme of attempting to export a narrow, pro-Trump MAGA vocabulary into UK civic life; Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart said Britain did not need "Trump’s Maga money meddling in our democracy." The offer sits alongside leaked US state department plans for separate $12m grants to UK groups linked to Jacob Rees-Mogg and Toby Young, and comes after senior Trump officials publicly attacked UK authorities on issues including abortion and digital regulation. Serving and recently departed US state department officials expressed unease, with one calling funding topics tied to a narrow America First vision "highly unusual." The documents being published on the embassy website have prompted calls for UK pushback and intensified scrutiny of US public diplomacy efforts in Britain.

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