Boris Johnson, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, will deliver a lecture in Call Auditorium at 7 p.m. Monday titled “The West is Worth Saving.”
The event, hosted by the Cornell Republicans and sponsored by the Young America’s Foundation, will bring one of Britain’s most prominent and divisive political figures to campus.
Cornell Republicans wrote in a press release that “at a moment when the future of the West is actively being shaped,” Johnson will be able to offer “a perspective grounded in experience and optimism.” The group attributed this to Johnson “having led the United Kingdom through a period of global uncertainty,” allowing him to bring “a firsthand understanding of the modern challenges facing Western democracies.”
Johnson was prime minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022, leading Britain through Brexit, COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He resigned from the office of prime minister in July 2022 following a series of ethics scandals — most notably, accounts of social gatherings attended by Johnson and held at his residence that violated lockdown rules, commonly known as “Partygate.”
Johnson’s upcoming campus visit reflects the Cornell Republicans’ ongoing effort to bring high-profile conservative speakers to campus, a mission that Whalen said is centered on “bringing the most consequential voices to campus when their perspectives matter the very most,” according to the press release.
Obi Uchegbu ’29, a student from Sheffield, England, told The Sun he “found it a bit weird” when he first learned Johnson would speak at Cornell, pointing to the backlash he faced in Britain for “breaking all of his COVID rules at home while preaching them to the news.” That scandal, he added, was “a really big thing back home,” but is “not very known” in America.
Despite his controversies, some still view Johnson favorably compared to other U.K. prime ministers, according to YouGov.
Wyatt Sell ’27, an opinion columnist for The Sun, from the Cotswolds, England, remarked that even among the British people who dislike Johnson, the former prime minister has an “air of affability” and comes across as a “pretty likeable guy,” despite being, according to Sell, “somewhat unscrupulous in other areas.”
Johnson has previously given lectures at several other American universities, including Georgetown in 2024, Yale in 2025 and most recently, the University of Miami, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Dallas.
At Georgetown, his talk made a case for democracy and Brexit, emphasizing the importance of protecting democratic institutions worldwide.
“Democracy – the ability to run your own country – is absolutely fundamental,” Johnson said at the Georgetown event. “And that is also what Brexit is about.”
At Yale, his talk was titled “The U.S. & U.K.: A Special Alliance that Must Work Together to Save the West.” There, Johnson defended academic freedom, praised President Donald Trump, condemned pro-Palestinian protests and urged Western students to advocate for intellectual freedom.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Johnson was hosted by the Wisconsin local chapter of Young Americans for Freedom. He spoke on “why the West is worth saving,” discussing global conflicts with Iran, Russia, China and North Korea. “The west will prevail when we stand together, when we correctly identify who are our friends and who are our foes,” Johnson said at the event, according to The Badger Herald.
In recent years, Cornell Republicans have hosted conservative figures such as Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles and Ann Coulter, often in partnership with conservative youth group YAF. Their appearances have drawn campus-wide protest and criticism.
Regardless of political disagreements, British Cornell students commented on the significance of the event.
“Boris Johnson does not come every day,” Uchegbu said. “I’m not too fond of the guy, but it will be interesting to see him.”
Sell echoed that sentiment, calling Johnson “a very polarizing figure, but one of the most important political figures in the past 10 years.”
“It’s pretty neat,” he added.
Admission is free and open to the public. At the time of publication, general admission tickets are sold out, but standby tickets are free to reserve. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and standby admission will begin at 6:45 p.m.
