President Barack Obama has told British politicians that, despite the rise of new global powers, the time for US and European leadership “is now”.
He said the influence of the US, UK and allies would remain “indispensable,” in a speech in Parliament on the second day of his UK state visit.
But he said leadership would need to “change with the times” to reflect economic and security challenges.
He is the first US president to address MPs and peers in Westminster Hall.
Rows of the UK’s most senior politicians and other prominent figures lined the historic building to hear the US president talk about the history of the UK’s relationship with the United States and its shared values – and outline some of the future challenges facing the world.
Former British prime ministers Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown sat next to each other in the packed hall – the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament – which fell silent as the US president began his 35-minute speech. (BBC)
