Daniel Hannan has spent more than three decades making the case for free trade, limited government, the rule of law, and individual liberty. Through his writing, broadcasting, and public service, he has helped audiences around the world understand how these principles allow people and societies to flourish.

It is because of his enduring commitment to advancing liberty and his ability to bring its ideas to life that Atlas Network is honored to announce Daniel Hannan as the annual Linda Whetstone Toast to Freedom speaker at Freedom Dinner, which will be held on November 12, 2026, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.

Earlier this year, Hannan became Director General and Ralph Harris Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Britain’s oldest free-market think tank. Accepting the role required him to step away from formal party politics, and he now serves in the House of Lords without a party affiliation.

The IEA also has a special connection to Atlas Network. The British World War II hero and entrepreneur Sir Antony Fisher founded the IEA in 1955 and went on to establish Atlas Network in the United States in 1981 to help build and strengthen independent organizations advancing the ideas of liberty around the world.

Today, Hannan leads the institution where that story began.

A journalist, member of the House of Lords, and author of nine books, Hannan has demonstrated a rare ability to make complex political and economic ideas clear and compelling. His books include the New York Times bestseller Inventing Freedom: How the English-Speaking Peoples Made the Modern World.

He has also written specifically for American audiences. In The New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America, Hannan examined the country’s traditions of federalism, separated powers, local decision-making, and democratic self-government. His work calls on Americans to recognize the institutions that have made their country distinct and to understand why those institutions must be protected.

Hannan last delivered the Toast to Freedom at Atlas Network’s Freedom Dinner in 2017. Speaking before more than 650 guests from 50 countries, he paid tribute to Sir Antony Fisher and used the humble chicken sandwich to illustrate how free trade has made goods that were once luxuries accessible to ordinary people around the world.

Nine years later, Hannan returns to deliver one of Freedom Dinner’s most anticipated traditions.

The Linda Whetstone Toast to Freedom brings friends of liberty together to recognize the principles we share and celebrate the people putting those principles into action. It reflects the purpose of Freedom Dinner, which shines a spotlight on courageous leaders and organizations achieving meaningful victories for liberty in their countries.

Hannan’s career offers a powerful example of how principled ideas, communicated with clarity and conviction, can reach new audiences and shape public debate. We are proud to welcome him back to Freedom Dinner as we celebrate the people working to expand liberty and opportunity around the world.