Helen Grant MP, Shadow Solicitor General
Andrew Rosindell, Shadow FCDO Minister and Commonwealth APPG Chair
Dr Kieran Mullan, Shadow Justice Minister
Greg Hands MP, Shadow Business Minister
Last week we recognised Commonwealth Day, and Conservative Party MPs have joined the relaunch of the Conservative Commonwealth Group as patrons, offering their leadership to an organisation that aims to fill a palpable void in our political framework.
The group, previously the Conservative Friends of the Commonwealth, has realigned and relaunched to adapt to the changing times and needs of our Conservative Party and the UK. Recent geopolitical events have demonstrated that international power frameworks are shifting, and in the light of recent weeks, there is a pressing need for the UK to reassert its central role on the global stage.
As we face an increasingly uncertain and volatile word, we must embrace a global outlook that supports and champions the Commonwealth, our family of 56 independent nations, with a population of 2.7 billion and a GDP of over $13.1 trillion and some of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
Global Britain is within reach, and we can seize the endless possibilities opened by the Commonwealth. From security and economic resilience to enhancing international trade, the Commonwealth is an existing framework that spans continents, political systems, and economic models, bound by a shared culture.
The launch of the CCG demonstrates a strategic pivot that the Conservative Party must take towards Global Britain: building on the network of like-minded nations. The CCG will continue to promote and reinforce the UK’s security through shared commitments and partnerships on a range of topics such as intelligence, coordinated defence strategies, and mutual support among Commonwealth partners, including those that join us in making up four-fifths of the Five Eyes network.
By championing traditional Conservative values, the rule of law, individual freedoms, and limited government, the CCG initiative aims to serve as a framework for partnerships between centre-right movements across the Commonwealth, helping them to embrace and strengthen their domestic standing. The Commonwealth gives us a chance to learn as a party from our peers across the globe.
The backing of Jeremy Hunt who served as Foreign Secretary, Alicia Kearns, a former Foreign Affairs Select Committee Chair, Sir Oliver Dowden, the former Deputy Prime Minister, and many others across both Houses and in our devolved administrations reinforces the group’s credibility and vision.
The group envisions a future where the UK, supported by a diverse coalition of Commonwealth nations, takes centre stage in crafting forward-thinking foreign policy.
