--- description: The British Speaker is officially politically neutral but is could block the President from addressing the U.K. House of Commons title: Trump U.K. Snub: John Bercow Opposes Speech In Parliament image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56de114061f4723e/6988b9038e060164d4469178/john-barcow.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # John Bercow, Britain's Speaker of the House, Doesn't Want Trump to Address Parliament by [Zamira Rahim](/author/zamira-rahim/) ## Zamira Rahim Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 6, 2017 6:39 PM CUT  Commons Speaker John Bercow on Sept. 14, 2015. Commons Speaker John Bercow on Sept. 14, 2015.Rick Findler—PA Wire/Press Association Images by [Zamira Rahim](/author/zamira-rahim/) ## Zamira Rahim Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 6, 2017 6:39 PM CUT British lawmaker John Bercow, [ Speaker of the U.K.’s House of Commons](http://www.parliament.uk/business/commons/the-speaker/the-role-of-the-speaker/role-of-the-speaker/ "undefined") has said [he would oppose President Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/06/donald-trump-should-not-be-allowed-to-speak-in-westminster-hall-says-speaker "undefined") addressing Parliament during his state visit. The Speaker of the U.K.’s lower chamber said that he would not support the plan for Trump to speak in Westminster Hall due to the country’s opposition “to racism and to sexism” as well as support for “equality before the law” and “an independent judiciary”, The _Guardian_ reports. Bercow was referencing the President’s[ controversial immigration restrictions](http://time.com/4660929/trump-immigration-order-ban-court/ "undefined") and attacks on U.S. judges, as well as numerous allegations of sexism. The comments are unprecedented as the British Speaker is supposed to be politically neutral. Unlike in the U.S. where the House Speaker is typically a party leader, the British role focuses more on chairing Parliamentary debates and keeping order. Theresa May, the British Prime Minister is thought to be eager to pursue a U.K.-U.S. trade deal. Bercow is however [one of the three key figures](http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/donald-trump-john-bercow-westminster-hall-commons-speaker-lords-speaker-great-lord-chamberlain%5Fuk%5F588f5df2e4b09b4b8648d301 "undefined") who would decide on whether the President makes a speech in Westminster Hall, which he said was “an earned honor.” \[[_Guardian_](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/06/donald-trump-should-not-be-allowed-to-speak-in-westminster-hall-says-speaker "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4661181/donald-trump-uk-parliament-speaker/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4661181/donald-trump-uk-parliament-speaker/"},"headline":"John Bercow, Britain's Speaker of the House, Doesn't Want Trump to Address Parliament","datePublished":"2017-02-06T18:39:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T03:09:36.969Z","description":"The British Speaker said that the country's opposition to \"racism and sexism\" played a part in his decision","url":"https://time.com/4661181/donald-trump-uk-parliament-speaker/","keywords":["United Kingdom","Donald Trump","Theresa May","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56de114061f4723e/6988b9038e060164d4469178/john-barcow.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zamira Rahim","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zamira-rahim/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56de114061f4723e/6988b9038e060164d4469178/john-barcow.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"EU referendum","caption":"EU referendum. 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