Mount Vernon America 250 Ceremony – Deputy PM David Lammy remarks

Governor and First Lady Youngkin, Mr Secretary, Mr President, Madam Regent, distinguished guests, it is an absolute honour to be here today as we mark the 250^th anniversary of these United States.  

I want to thank the Governor and the First Lady for their hospitality and their leadership but also for building on the enduring friendship between Virginia and the United Kingdom.  

You have helped to strengthen an already deep relationship and we wish you every success as you leave office.  

I also want to thank President Bradburn and Regent Petri for hosting us in this extraordinary setting.  

Mount Vernon is more than a place of historic interest. It is a monument to a great man and a very brilliant leader.  

Standing as a reminder of the fight that George Washington led for independence and the founding of one of the world's longest-running democracies. 

In 1797, the American Ambassador to Great Britain recorded a remark attributed to King George III.  

He described Washington as “the most distinguished of any man living” and “the greatest character of his age” and it's hard to think of a judgement on which history has been more firmly united.  

I am grateful too to the Friends of the Washington Statue, the Board, and its Chairman, John Gerber for their remarkable work restoring the George Washington statue in London. 

A gift from the people of the great state of Virginia, it has stood in Trafalgar Square for more than a century. Surrounded by figures from British history, such as Viscount Nelson and King George IV. 

The statue is unique - the only likeness of a foreign figure to be placed in the Square. 

It is a visible and enduring symbol of the respect with which George Washington is held by the British people.  

But it is also a symbol of our shared values, which he emboldened and embodied so powerfully: liberty and leadership. 

One of my predecessors as Foreign Secretary was once asked by an American visitor why he had a portrait of George III in his office. His response was witty as it was fitting: “[George III is] my hero. If he hadn't been so stupid, you wouldn't been strong enough to come to our rescue in the War.”

As we enter the 250^th year of the relationship between the United Kingdom and an independent United States, I stand here with deep confidence in our shared future. 

A partnership built on common values and mutual respect.  

It is a bond rooted in history and culture. In a shared legal history and an unswerving commitment to freedom of speech.  

It is sustained by enduring ties between our people and our governments.  

The 250th anniversary represents one of history's most remarkable reconciliations from adversaries to the closest of allies. 

This is our history. The US and UK have fought side by side in not only Two World Wars but time and time again for the cause of freedom. 

So, I want to recognise Secretary Burgum and the Administration's support for this event.  

It is my pleasure to present the capstone today on behalf of the UK Government, in partnership with Friends of the Washington Statue.   

Carved from one of the original Portland limestone plinth steps of the statue in Trafalgar Square it is inscribed with thirteen six-pointed stars, replicating George Washington's famous headquarters flag.  

When the capstone and time capsule are installed at the Mall beneath the Washington Monument, I hope they will serve as a reminder of the Special Relationship we live every day. 

The Special Relationship - far from being an abstract idea, it is built through practical cooperation and shared purpose. 

In defence and security. In the trade and investment that benefit us all. In working together to secure peace and stability across the globe.  

And in our partnerships on emerging technologies and energy security which will help shape the world in the decades to come. The UK and US are the only two Western nations with trillion-dollar technology ecosystems.   

And for me, it is deeply personal. My father is buried here in the United States, in Eastern Texas. I have family in Virginia and much of this country.  

It has influenced by my own story and history in your country. First, studying in Massachusetts and then working in California. Opportunities here which enabled me, in turn, to serve the public of my own country.

And as I learnt during my stay, we do not agree on everything. 

Our philosophies can be different: on law, on government, and on monarchy. But we are family.  

In the past, we have had disagreements: the War of 1812 is perhaps the most obvious example. But to family we have always returned: as friends, as allies and partners in the greatest of all our endeavours.  

So today is very much about our shared history but it is also about looking to the future. 

The 250^th anniversary of your independence in July. The football – or I should say “soccer” – World Cup this summer. The 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.  

Events which will showcase this great nation and the huge amount it has to offer the world.

The United Kingdom looks forward to working closely with this administration, as our two nations continue to work together to honour George Washington's legacy and the ideas that continue to define peace and prosperity not just here and in the UK, but around the globe.  

And we will no doubt do so for the next 250 years and beyond, long after all of us here are gone.  

Time capsules are about speaking to the future.

I am confident that when the one we are dedicating today is opened by our descendants, three things will still be certain: 

First, the US will continue to lead the free world and the values that have shaped it.  

Second, the UK will still be its closest ally and most dependable partner.  

And third, that together we will continue to anchor the great Western family: as two free, multi-racial, English-speaking peoples forever chasing new horizons.  

Thank you very much indeed.