The US State Department has released its restructured 2024 Human Rights Report, overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, delivering unusually sharp criticism of several longstanding allies. The document says the human rights situation "worsened during the year" in the United Kingdom and Germany, citing significant restrictions on freedom of expression and a surge in antisemitic threats and violence. In the United Kingdom, the report singles out Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government for what it calls a clamp-down on speech. It points to the Online Safety Act, which extends British regulatory powers to foreign technology platforms, Public Space Protection Orders that limit protest near abortion clinics, and police actions following last year’s Southport attacks. The State Department also records 1,978 antisemitic incidents in the first half of 2025—more than double the 964 logged during the same period in 2023—and says official responses to these trends have been inconsistent. On Germany, the report finds that freedom-of-expression constraints tightened and that credible reports of antisemitic crimes, violence or threats persisted. It notes some efforts by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration to investigate abuses, but concludes overall protections have deteriorated. The assessment echoes criticism levelled earlier this year by US Vice President J.D. Vance, who accused Berlin of marginalising political opposition. The publication has prompted pushback from human-rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which say the Trump administration softened language on allies such as Israel and El Salvador while amplifying concerns in countries where Washington seeks leverage. Both London and Berlin have yet to issue formal responses, but the report adds strain to trans-Atlantic relations already unsettled by disagreements over digital regulation and security policy.