Addresses to Members of Parliament

Papal address in Westminster Hall 2010 © PA

A State visit is often marked by a speech given to Members of both Houses of Parliament by the visiting head of State or Government.

Aung San Suu Kyi address 2012

Nobel peace prize winner and newly elected parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi addressed members of both Houses in Westminster Hall on Thursday 21 June at 3pm during her visit to the UK.

State Visit of the President of the USA 2011

As part of his State visit to the UK on 24-26 May 2011, President Barack Obama addressed Members of both Houses on Wednesday 25 May.

Papal address 2010

On Friday 17 September 2010, as part of his first official visit to the UK, Pope Benedict XVI addressed an audience of invited guests in Westminster Hall that included Members of both Houses of Parliament, diplomats and representatives of civic society.

Previous addresses

The President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, addressed MPs and Members of the Lords on 1 April 2009 in the Robing Room, House of Lords.

The President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, addressed MPs and Members of the Lords on 26 March 2008 during his State visit to the UK – making him the seventh French President to give a formal address to Members of both Houses.

On 15 May 2007, Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach of Ireland, addressed 500 Members of Parliament in the Royal Gallery to commemorate the restoration of devolution in Northern Ireland. It was the first time that an Irish Prime Minister had addressed Members of both Houses.

Nelson Mandela, François Mitterand, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama are among those who have all given addresses to MPs and Members of the Lords.

For more on speeches to Members of Parliament since 1939, read the Commons Library Standard Note:

Can I attend an address?

The public cannot gain access to addresses made to Members of Parliament. However, details about addresses will be posted on this webpage.

Related information

State visits on Flickr

View images of the Papal address in Westminster Hall and of Presidents of Mexico and France addressing MPs and Members of the Lords on Parliament's Flickr channel:

Visit the venues

View the Royal Gallery and Robing Room – the key locations for addresses to Parliament – in our virtual tour: