Unsung benefits of the Commonwealth

NEXT week, the Queen hosts a meeting of the heads of state of all 53 Commonwealth member countries.

The Commonwealth has many critics, who sneer that it is a meaningless relic of Britain’s colonial past. They are utterly wrong.

The Commonwealth brings together 2.3 billion people — almost a third of the world’s population — through mutual understanding and shared values.

Unlike Nato, it does not use force to build trust and prevent conflict. Unlike the EU, it does not encroach on national sovereignty.

Instead, it shares values through a relaxed meeting of minds and a common history.

The Commonwealth was instrumental in ending military rule in Pakistan in 2007 and was behind the international boycott of apartheid South Africa.

Also, it benefits members’ economies — as shown by a study published last week which reveals that Commonwealth members trade 20 per cent more, on average, with each other and generate 10 per cent more foreign investment than other countries.

There is a reason for this. All Commonwealth countries share a form of the traditional British common law. We have the same legal system and any disputes tend to be settled far more easily.

Membership of the Commonwealth is one of Britain’s unsung advantages — one that should be harnessed more after Brexit.