Former Mumford and Sons musician asks White House if Brits punished over free speech can seek asylum in US

Former Mumford & Sons musician and podcast host Winston Marshall asked the White House on Monday if President Donald Trump would give “political asylum” to UK citizens punished for their speech.

The British rock star-turned-political commentator appeared at Monday’s press briefing where he addressed concerns about free speech being under threat in his home country and asked if the U.S. would consider granting asylum to Brits who faced prosecution for posting “hate speech” online.

“In Britain, we have had a quarter of a million people issued non-crime hate incidents. As we speak, there are people in prison for quite literally posting memes,” Marshall told White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“We have extensive prison sentences for tweets, social media posts and general free speech issues. Would the Trump administration consider political asylum for British citizens in such a situation?” he asked.

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Leavitt chuckled before complimenting Marshall for broaching the topic.

“It’s a very good one. I have not heard that proposed to the president nor have I spoken to him about that idea, but I certainly can and talk to our national security team and see if it’s something the administration would entertain,” she began.

Leavitt relayed that Vice President JD Vance had been “incredibly outspoken” about free speech concerns in the UK.

“The president has spoken about this as well, directly with your prime minister when he was here for a visit to the White House,” Leavitt told Marshall. “So it remains a critical endeavor of ours, to show the Brits, and your country, which we love and admire, about the First Amendment and the importance of free speech in a sovereign nation.”

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In a speech to European leaders in February, Vance warned that Europe appeared to be retreating from some of its fundamental values it shares with the U.S. and returning to “Soviet-era” censorship.

Marshall, a co-founder and former lead guitarist for the folk rock band Mumford & Sons, has become an outspoken advocate for free speech after being “canceled” in 2021 for expressing his political opinion.

He left the band that year after causing an uproar by sending a tweet in support of conservative journalist Andy Ngo’s book, “Unmasked,” about the left-wing anti-fascist movement known as Antifa.

In a November 2022 interview with Fox News Digital, Marshall said he had “no regrets” about leaving the band and now feels “liberated” to speak out on controversial issues.

From 2022-2023, Marshall hosted the podcast “Marshall Matters” with The Spectator. He currently hosts the podcast, “The Winston Marshall Show,” where he interviews “leading writers, authors, artists, journalists, musicians, scientists, entrepreneurs and heterodox voices across the world.”