Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced Wednesday he will travel to London on Jan. 20 to address the U.K. Parliament, making him the first speaker to do so.
The address will focus on America’s 250th anniversary of independence, as the Trump administration plans to host many celebrations throughout the year.
“The U.S. and the U.K. have stood together as pillars of peace and security across generations,” Johnson said. “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,” the speaker concluded.
U.K. House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle invited Johnson to address the Parliament, saying he was “honoured” to welcome him.
President Barack Obama last addressed the U.K. Parliament in 2011; before that was President Bill Clinton in 1995.
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“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,” Hoyle said.
“I am pleased to continue to mark this important occasion and acknowledge the enduring close relationship between our parliaments and people,” he continued. “Our U.K. 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.”