Ryan Weld

Charleston, WV - Senate Majority Whip Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, got a firsthand look at how England does its governing during a recent trip to London. Weld and his wife, Alex, met with Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow before attending the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) at Parliament on July 4.

Senator Weld, who was visiting London on vacation, presented Speaker Bercow with “The West Virginia State Capitol Building,” a photography book by Thorney Lieberman. 

During PMQs, the Prime Minister comes to the House of Commons to take questions directly from members of Parliament. Speaker Bercow, from the floor of the House of Commons, said it was the first time an American state Senator had been present in the Chamber for a session.

“I remind the House, or indeed I inform the House, almost certainly for the first time, that we are today visited by an American state Senator and his wife, whom I had the great pleasure of meeting earlier this morning,” Speaker Bercow said from the podium, with a smile. “I’m sure we will wish to impress the two of them with the quality of our behavior.”

Senator Weld, who regularly watches PMQs, said the dynamic of the debate is interesting because it’s unique. The United States does not have a regularly scheduled session in which Congress can ask direct questions to the President. 

“It’s just not something we could imagine seeing here in the United States,” Weld said. “The entire experience was such an interesting look at how another country does its day-to-day governing.”

Following the PMQ session at Parliament, Senator Weld was asked to share his experience with BBC News. During a live broadcast, he was asked his thoughts about PMQs as well as President Trump’s upcoming visit to Great Britain. 

“This was really unexpected, but it was an amazing opportunity to represent West Virginia. I love it when people ask where my wife and I are from, because we get the chance talk about our state. I never imagined I’d get the chance to do that on British National news,” Weld said. 

A link to the BBC News segment featuring Senator Weld is available here: https://youtu.be/m-nrHsr5egw.