We have more in common with Australia and India than Latvia and Slovakia

By Lord Marland The PM’s ex-Trade Envoy says we should be doing more business with our REAL friends and partners in the Commonwealth

Whatever the outcome of next week’s EU vote, Britain has not made the most of its pivotal role in the Commonwealth. Far from being at the risk of isolation, we are in the extraordinarily fortunate position of enjoying a key part in the Commonwealth, which covers more than a fifth of the world’s land mass and embraces 2.3 billion citizens — one-third of the world’s entire population.

rather than shivering on the sidelines in the event of Brexit, Britain could become a more significant global player by building on its membership of the Commonwealth, with the Queen and the royal Family working tirelessly at its heart.

It’s an organisation that was originally forged by the British empire, but now flourishes through mutual friendship.

In its unique origins and voluntary structure lie both the Commonwealth’s strength and huge potential benefits for Britain.

We are linked to the 52 other Commonwealth nations with ties of language, heritage, justice, culture, sport and, yes, even humour.

It is no exaggeration to say that most Britons would have much more in common with people from australia or India than those from EU nations such as Latvia and Slovakia.

the Commonwealth remains an untapped resource for Britain. Sadly, in recent years, the advantages of this enormous alliance have been downplayed or over-looked. this disdain has partly been caused by our deeper involvement with the european Union, which has focused our gaze narrowly on europe, rather than the wider world.

Undoubtedly, our entry into the Common Market in 1973 meant the diminution of our relationships with Commonwealth partners such as New Zealand. and that process of neglect has accelerated over the subsequent four decades.

DeS PITE the renewed energy being shown by UK ministers, it is a telling fact that within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, there are more than 100 officials working on our relations with the EU, but no more than eight on our relations with the Commonwealth.

In the same vein, during the 13 years of the Labour government from 1997, there was not a single British prime ministerial visit to Malaysia, even though it has a rapidly growing economy and is an increasingly important power in the pacific region.

this, happily, has been rectified by the current government and trade between the two countries has leapt.

to disregard the importance of the Commonwealth is the height of folly. the institution is predicted to be key to a successful future for Britain. In economic terms alone, many of the Commonwealth nations could soon be major powerhouses.

Nigeria, for instance, has a population of around 180 million and is predicted to be larger than the U.S. by 2030, while India, the world’s largest democracy, has recently enjoyed growth rates of more than 6 per cent.

In 2013, the size of the Commonwealth’s economy overtook that of the faltering eurozone. It has been estimated that the Commonwealth produces around 17 per cent of the world’s entire gross product when measured in terms of purchasing power. Indeed, the Commonwealth is helping to fuel global prosperity by promoting international trade.

a host of studies have suggested that there is a ‘Commonwealth factor’ in global trade, meaning it is, on average, 19 per cent cheaper to trade with Commonwealth countries, thanks to legal structures and cultural similarities.

Moreover, the growing wealth of the Commonwealth can provide investment in crucial infrastructure projects in Britain, as we see in the vast regeneration of the Battersea power Station site in London, one of the biggest redevelopments in europe. tellingly, it is backed by Malaysia, not a eurozone power.

Yet there is far more scope for Britain to utilise its Commonwealth ties for economic advancement.

We have not only the gift of the english language in common, but also a basis of law established by the British, which can serve as invaluable conduits for commerce. the City of London remains the dominant financial centre for most Commonwealth countries.

relatively modest trade facilitation measures and improvements in logistics are thought likely to increase Commonwealth exports by £86 billion annually, boosting Commonwealth GDP by £122 billion and creating 24 million new jobs.

Some critics might suggest that one of the Commonwealth’s problems is that its members are from all corners of the earth, so it could never form a regional bloc like the european Union. But this is outdated thinking.

In the age of mass transit, cheap travel, the internet and satellite communication, geographical proximity counts for far less today than it did in the Seventies, when Britain entered the Common Market. In any case, the sheer extraordinary breadth of the Commonwealth, both culturally and geographically, should be seen as another asset.

During the Sixties, when France’s president, Charles de Gaulle, persistently vetoed our application to join the Common Market, he made an oblique reference to the Commonwealth in declaring that Britain was ‘insular, maritime and linked by her exchanges, her markets and her supply routes to the most diverse and often farthest-flung of nations’.

But what de Gaulle saw as negatives are now regarded as virtues. We live in an age that eagerly celebrates diversity and revels in variety.

the Commonwealth is truly the embodiment of the progressive, globalised world. that means it is a force for good, not just in economic terms, but also in the promotion of democratic freedoms.

thanks to its roots in the British empire, the Commonwealth Charter places strong emphasis on respect for personal liberty, representative governance, human rights and freedom of expression.

It is no coincidence that so many Commonwealth nations have adopted the parliamentary model, given that Britain is the ‘Mother of parliaments’, just as Magna Carta challenged authoritarian rule and arbitrary imprisonment.

Sa DLY, Britain’s membership of the EU has been a barrier towards closer links with the Commonwealth. there are restrictions on our ability to make free trade and investment agreements with partners such as australia, India and Canada, while we have also made it difficult for Commonwealth entrepreneurs and skilled staff to come to Britain.

It is now a constant complaint from our Commonwealth partners that work visas in the UK are tortuous, if not impossible, to obtain, whereas citizens of the european Union, regardless of their employment records, can enter the UK, thanks to EU rules on free movement.

even so, whatever the outcome of the vote next week and our relationship with the EU, there is a great deal more that Britain could do to strengthen its ties with the Commonwealth. after all, the expansion of trade does not depend on trade deals, no matter how much campaigners bang on about them in the current referendum debate.

the U.S. is Britain’s biggest export market, worth £3.5 billion, yet we have never had a trade agreement with america.

What is needed is a change of official attitude, one that recognises what the Commonwealth has to offer. the Government has made strides in that direction.

We should not be embarrassed to lead the Commonwealth and invest in the institution. a strong and prosperous Commonwealth would be good for our country and the wider world.

how better to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday than by committing greater support to this institution she has done so much to cherish.