The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, announced on Wednesday (January 7th) that he will visit the British Parliament on January 20th to deliver a speech in celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.
Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, will be the first sitting Speaker of the US House of Representatives to address the British Parliament.
In his statement announcing the visit, Johnson expressed his honor and humility in accepting the invitation from the Speaker of the House of Commons in the UK, Lindsay Hoyle.
“As our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of American independence, I am deeply honored to have been invited by Speaker Hoyle to address Parliament,” Johnson said in his statement. He emphasized the longstanding pillar of peace and security that the US and the UK have been to each other for generations.
“We forged this important friendship during the great wars of the 20th century, but our true strength comes from our shared commitment to individual liberty, human dignity, and the rule of law, which together constitute an exceptional common heritage in the English-speaking world,” he added.
Speaker Hoyle of the House of Commons in the UK expressed his delight in continuing to commemorate this significant moment and acknowledged the enduring close connections between the two countries’ parliaments and peoples.
President Trump has outlined a series of commemorative activities. On Monday (January 5th), one of the coins minted to mark the 250th anniversary of America’s founding began circulation. The US Mint announced this news on social media that day.
The coin, named the “Mayflower Compact,” is the first of five new designs for 25-cent commemorative coins planned for release in 2026. It features themes of two Puritan pilgrims, a man and a woman, with the motto “E Pluribus Unum” from the US seal bannered above.
The four other 25-cent coins planned for circulation include coins commemorating the American Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address.