Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has bagged a meeting with US vice-president JD Vance during Mr Vance’s visit to the UK - but Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has not. To rub salt in the wounds, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick, who stood against Mrs Badenoch for the Tory leadership last year, has also secured a meeting with the US politician.

Mr Vance’s spokesperson insisted Mrs Badenoch had not been snubbed, but said a scheduling conflict meant the pair would not have time to talk. JD Vance has been enjoying a family holiday in the UK and is staying in a Georgian manor in the Cotswolds, but has mixed business with pleasure and held a series of official meetings. Part of his stay has been hosted by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who appears to have become a close personal friend, and the pair went fishing together.

Taylor Van Kirk, Press Secretary to the vice-president, was reported saying: “He specifically tried to see Kemi Badenoch – a friend of his – but a meeting was not possible due to their conflicting schedules. Any suggestion otherwise is false.”

Mr Farage, who will meet with Mr Vance on Wednesday, has a good relationship with US President Donald Trump and shares similar views to the president and vice-president on issues such as freedom of speech and controlling immigration.

Mr Vance is visiting US troops stationed in the UK today.

The foreign secretary enjoyed some banter with the vice-president when the pair spoke to journalists last week. Mr Lammy said: “The cut and thrust of politics is what excites me, and the truth is I was blessed to go to Harvard, and I think the vice president went to a university not quite as good, Yale.

“So we enjoy that political debate and discussion particularly. But, you know, there are areas where there are actually joint concern, we both have a joint concern about outcomes for working people, that is the truth of it.”

Mr Vance replied: “Absolutely.”

Mr Vance said the US and UK “have a lot in common” and should work together to “bring greater peace” to the world, during their meeting last week.

Mr Vance said: “Obviously we come from sort of different political spectrums, but he was kind enough to make time on a visit to DC, we got to know each other a little bit then, and just kept on seeing each other.

“And our families enjoy each other’s company very much, which always helps, but we just care about this relationship and we care about the fact that we’re separated by an ocean and as I guess Churchill said by a common language, that we have a lot in common, and there’s a lot to do and a lot to work on together.

“David once said to me, this is probably a couple of years ago, that there’s this feeling that the world is in a state of incredible tension, and I certainly felt that a couple of years ago.

“I think the president of the United States over the last six, seven months has done a lot to lower that tension but there’s a lot that the United Kingdom and the United States can do, I think, to bring greater peace and stability to the world.

“So we share that conviction, and that’s made it easy for us to spend time together and work on the issues of the day.”