British-American Parliamentary Group

Up & Coming Events

Notice of BAPG events will be advertised on this site and included in the All Party Parliamentary Group Notices.  We will also e-mail members.

For more information on any of the events advertised please contact the BAPG Programme Manager, Hannah Mitchell.

Ronald Reagan: Conservative Icon Panel Discussion Event on Tuesday, 25th June 2024 at 6pm in the State Rooms, Speaker’s House, House of Commons

This year marks the fortieth anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s historic landslide re-election as president in 1984, carrying almost every state in the Union.  It was the high point of a presidency that signified a conservative shift in American society and politics.  To conservatives, Reagan became as iconic as Franklin Roosevelt had been to liberal Americans.

In the White House, Reagan redefined the role of the federal government and committed his administration to sweeping tax cuts.  After initially taking a hard-line approach in the Cold War, he developed a cordial relationship with Mikhail Gorbachev and reached an arms-reduction agreement with his Soviet counterpart that helped pave the way for the ending of the Cold War.  His foreign policy was also characterised by a generally close relationship with his ideological soulmate, Margaret Thatcher.  Throughout his presidency, Reagan’s leadership style was informed by communication skills developed during his pre-presidential life and career, not least his time as an actor in Hollywood.

To mark this anniversary, the British-American Parliamentary Group, the London POTUS Group, and the Archives and History APPG, with the kind support of The National Archives, have organised a special event on Tuesday, 25th June at 6pm in the State Rooms, Speaker’s House, House of Commons, by kind permission of Mr. Speaker, The Rt. Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP.

The panel of speakers will comprise: Professor H.W. Brands, celebrated historian, author of more than thirty books – including Reagan: The Life (2015) – and holder of the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas.  He will speak on Reagan’s early years and rise to power.

Professor Iwan Morgan, the leading presidential scholar in the UK, Emeritus Professor of US History at UCL, and author of numerous books – including his much-praised biography Reagan: American Icon (2016) – will talk on Reagan’s domestic policies in the White House.

Dr. Anthony Eames, Director of Scholarly Initiatives at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, teaches at George Washington University and is author of A Voice in Their Own Destiny: Reagan, Thatcher, and Public Diplomacy in the Nuclear 1980s (2023).  He will discuss Reagan’s handling of the Cold War.

The Rt. Hon. Penny Mordaunt, MP, Leader of the House of Commons, the first woman to hold the post of Secretary of State for Defence, and co-author of Greater Britain after the Storm, which won the Parliamentary Book Award 2021.  Her talk will explore the relationship between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

The event will be chaired by The Rt. Hon. the Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, former Secretary of State for Defence and Secretary General of NATO; and it will be introduced by Chris Evans MP for Islwyn, Co-Chair of the Archives and History APPG.

There will be a curated display of documents from The National Archives at the event which will shed light on key developments in the Reagan years, including the British government’s relationship with the Reagan administration.

 RSVP to Hannah Mitchell at the BAPG mitchellhk@parliament.uk

As there is very limited space at the venue, we would have to restrict the event on a first come first served basis.

Annual Legislative Exchange to the US in conjunction with the US Department of State and the American Embassy London

The BAPG, in conjunction with the United States Department of State and the American Embassy London, is to send a group of Parliamentarians to the United States in July 2024.

The purpose of the trip is to acquaint BAPG members with the American political system at the federal, state, and local levels, with emphasis on the role and organization of Congress.  It will include a short time with a Member of Congress in their district.

A delegation has been confirmed for this year’s exchange.

2024 US National Party Conventions

The British-American Parliamentary Group is working with the British Embassy in Washington DC and Conservative Party Head Quarters to confirm two invitations to each of the US National Party Conventions this year:

Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 15-18 July 2024 and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, 19-22 August 2024

We plan to send two Conservative Party members to the Republican convention and two members of the Opposition parties to the Democratic convention this year. Both parties run programmes for international visitors to observe the convention proceedings and take part in a series of panel sessions and events.

The BAPG officers have selected members for each convention.