WASHINGTON — Speaker Johnson will travel to London to address the United Kingdom Parliament on Tuesday, January 20 in honor of America’s Semiquincentennial celebration.
Speaker Johnson will be the first U.S. Speaker of the House to address Parliament.
“As our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of American Independence, I am honored and humbled by Speaker Hoyle’s invitation to address Parliament,” Speaker Johnson said, announcing the trip.
“The U.S. and the UK have stood together as pillars of peace and security across generations. We forged this important friendship in the great wars of the 20th century, but the true source of our strength comes from our shared commitment to individual freedom, human dignity, and the rule of law, which together form the exceptional, joint heritage of the English-speaking world.”
“As America begins its Semiquincentennial celebration, I will be happy to visit one of the great shrines of democracy itself, where the principles that launched the long struggle for American liberty were debated and refined.”
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK House of Commons, said he was “honoured in this 250th anniversary year of American Independence to welcome Speaker Johnson to Parliament.”
“Fifty years ago, my predecessor Speaker Thomas invited Speaker Albert of the U.S. House of Representatives to Speaker’s House to mark the 200th anniversary.”
“I am pleased to continue to mark this important occasion and acknowledge the enduring close relationship between our parliaments and people. Our UK Parliament is sited just miles away from where the cross-Atlantic relationship began more than 400 years ago. The courage of the Founding Fathers, who set sail on the Mayflower for the New World, built a bridge and connections across the Atlantic, which continues until today.”
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