UKRAINIAN president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address British lawmakers via videolink in the House of Commons on Tuesday (8), the first time a president of another country has addressed the main Westminster chamber.
Zelenskyy, who has spoken to British prime minister Boris Johnson on several occasions since Russia invaded his country, has made a number of impassioned speeches to Western leaders in the last week, asking for supplies and military support.
He will address the chamber at 1700 GMT when the formal parliamentary business will be suspended. Lawmakers will be able to watch the speech on screens installed overnight, with 500 headsets providing a simultaneous translation in English.
Former world leaders including US presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and Germany's Angela Merkel, have previously made speeches in other parts of the parliamentary estate on the banks of the River Thames, including in the ornate Royal Gallery or vast Westminster Hall.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) is greeted by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Presidential Palace, in Kyiv on February 1, 2022. (Photo by PETER NICHOLLS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
"Every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the president, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House," Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said in a statement.
"Thanks again to our incredible staff for working at pace to make this historic address possible."
Ben Wallace, Britain's defence minister, told Sky News he expected the address to be "incredibly powerful".
"President Zelenskyy is the spirit of Ukraine, which is young, which is liberal thinking, which is outward-facing, which is European, and that's what Russia or president (Vladimir) Putin just doesn't understand," he said.
Ukraine's ambassador to London was given a very rare standing ovation when he appeared in the chamber to observe Johnson answering lawmakers' questions last week.
(Reuters)
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)