Press Releases

WASHINGTON — Today, Speaker Johnson hosted The Right Honorable Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP, Speaker of the House of Commons, for a bilateral meeting at the U.S. Capitol. Their meeting follows Speaker Johnson’s visit to the House of Commons in January, when he became the first U.S. Speaker to address the British Parliament. Both Speaker Johnson and Speaker Hoyle delivered brief remarks following their meeting.

“Today, here in our nation's Capitol, we are certainly proud to celebrate America's unique bond and the enduring friendship that we have with the British people,” Speaker Johnson said. “The United States and the United Kingdom are two of the most exceptional nations the world has ever known, and together, we form the single greatest force for advancing human freedom and preserving the values of western civilization.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.

Below are Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered:

Good afternoon, everyone. It's a tremendous privilege of mine personally and officially to welcome the Speaker of the U.K. Parliament, The Right Honorable, Sir Lindsay Hoyle. We've become friends over these last couple of years and have done many events together. And I'm just delighted to welcome him and his wife, Lady Hoyle, to the United States Capitol.

It's his first visit here, which I'm surprised by, but we're certainly delighted to have him. In January, as part of America's Semiquincentennial celebration, I had the profound honor of visiting and addressing the Parliament in the U.K. I was the first U.S. Speaker of the House ever allowed to do so. And we so enjoyed that.

Speaker Hoyle graciously hosted my wife, Kelly, and me and our team. Today here in our nation's Capitol, we are certainly proud to celebrate America's unique bond and the enduring friendship that we have with the British people. The United States and the United Kingdom are two of the most exceptional nations the world has ever known, and together, we form the single greatest force for advancing human freedom and preserving the values of Western civilization.

Speaker Hoyle and I believe wholeheartedly in that special relationship as it is called. We'll continue to be a beacon for liberty and freedom. That's the resolve that both nations have just as it has throughout our history. And this visit reaffirms that shared hope and commitment that we have.

Finally, I'd like to address my well wishes to the newly appointed British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who just took office yesterday. I'm hopeful this new government can work together with the United States to advance the shared interest and the priorities of our people. We thank you for being here and I will yield the podium to the other Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle.