Commons Speaker to welcome Nancy Pelosi for G7 conference

Washington’s House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to visit the north west of England in September for the annual G7 Speakers’ conference.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will host his international counterparts in his Chorley constituency for the meeting, where protecting parliaments from terrorism is set to be on the agenda.

It comes after the UK hosted the G7 leaders’ summit in Cornwall earlier this month, which saw Boris Johnson welcome US President Joe Biden on his first overseas visit since entering the White House.

Ms Pelosi is set to attend the conference, held at Astley Hall in the Lancashire town between September 17 and 19, alongside the EU Parliament’s president and counterparts from France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan.

The representatives from the group of leading democracies will come together to exchange experiences, opinions and information, primarily on parliamentary matters.

Sir Lindsay said: “With so many of our parliaments having experience of terrorist attacks and our Members facing threats, abuse and hostility from armchair trolls on social media, now is the time for us to join together to discuss how we can tackle such forces of evil.

“How do we balance public access to Parliaments as well keeping Members and staff safe?

“Amid this climate, how do our communities raise their voices and get them heard nationally and internationally on these and other issues? These are all massively important topics for our countries.

“I look forward to welcoming my counterparts to one of the most beautiful parts of the UK – to the town where I was born and brought up – to Lancashire and the North West.”