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U.S. Home Speaker Mike Johnson addressed Britain’s Parliament on Tuesday, telling them that he had come to “calm the waters,” as tensions between Washington and its European allies have intensified in current weeks over President Donald Trump’s push to accumulate Greenland.
Johnson’s handle — the primary ever delivered by a sitting U.S. Home speaker to the British Parliament — got here on the eve of the USA’ 250th anniversary and in opposition to a backdrop of pressure in transatlantic relations, together with Trump’s sharp criticism of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hours earlier over a deal involving the Chagos Islands.
“I spoke to President Trump at size yesterday, and I advised him that I actually felt that my mission right here right this moment was to encourage our mates and assist to calm the waters, so to talk,” Johnson mentioned.
Johnson emphasised that regardless of present disagreements, the U.S. and UK stay certain by a sturdy alliance constructed on shared historical past, values and safety pursuits.
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U.S. Home Speaker Mike Johnson leaves 10 Downing Avenue after assembly Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Picture/Alberto Pezzali)
“We’ve all the time been capable of work by means of our variations calmly as mates. We are going to proceed to try this,” he mentioned. “I wish to guarantee you this morning that that’s nonetheless the case.”
The speaker mentioned his go to had taken on new urgency as geopolitical tensions escalated in current days. He described his function as reinforcing stability amongst allies whereas signaling resolve to adversaries.
Johnson tied his remarks to the approaching 250th anniversary of American independence, framing the milestone not merely as a celebration, however as a second of reflection and recommitment — significantly as Western nations confront exterior threats and inner divisions.
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He warned that U.S. adversaries are more and more difficult Western democracies by means of “more and more subtle types of subversion.”
“We see China, Russia and Iran develop extra aggressive and emboldened as they intensify their efforts to exert financial, political, and navy affect around the globe,” Johnson mentioned. “We see a callous disregard for primary human rights, new provocations, and even the theft of mental property on a scale like we have now by no means seen earlier than.”
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Johnson mentioned Trump is targeted on these threats, significantly in strategically delicate areas such because the Arctic.
“Clearly, President Trump is taking severely the fashionable and dynamic threats that China and Russia pose to our international safety, and particularly and in focus the previous few days because it pertains to the Arctic,” he mentioned.
Britain’s Speaker of the Home of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, left, walks with U.S. Home Speaker Mike Johnson throughout a go to to the Home of Commons, in London, Monday, Jan.19, 2026. (Jordan Pettitt/Pool Picture by way of AP)
Whereas acknowledging room for debate amongst allies, Johnson pressured that the hazards posed by rival powers should be confronted collectively.
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“Whereas we are able to have considerate debate amongst our mates about how finest to counter these threats, all of us definitely agree they should be countered,” he mentioned.
Speaker Johnson praised Britain and different allies for current cooperation, together with enforcement of sanctions. He clarified that Trump’s “America First” agenda doesn’t imply “America alone.”
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He praised NATO members for rising protection spending and highlighted cooperation by means of alliances corresponding to AUKUS, calling them proof that nationwide pursuits and collective safety can coexist.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomes U.S. Home Speaker Mike Johnson to 10 Downing Avenue in London, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Picture/Alberto Pezzali)
“Whether or not it’s NATO’s nations historic dedication to lift their funding in protection… or the AUKUS alliance deepening its cooperation in submarines and undersea protection, our partnership is proving that nations can prioritize their particular person pursuits responsibly,” he mentioned.
Johnson invoked the shared heritage of the U.S. and UK, warning that navy energy and financial energy are meaningless with out confidence in a shared set of values.
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“Sturdy and deadly militaries matter,” he mentioned. “Strong and thriving economies matter, however they imply little if we overlook what we’re preventing for.”
