On 11 March, some 2.5 billion citizens joined to commemorate the Commonwealth family. 75 years after the London Declaration, I joined with this family’s many nations, faiths and communities at a service at Westminster Abbey.

I was Prime Minister when the Commonwealth agreed a new Charter, a milestone in our family’s history. For the first time, we had a single document setting out our core values and shared goals.

Today, as Foreign Secretary, I want our family of nations working in partnership to uphold these values and fulfil these goals. I am proud of the work Commonwealth members do in partnership in areas ranging from the rule of law to protecting the environment.

We are bound together by our many connections and inspired by our incredible diversity. This makes us a strong and respected voice in the world, capable of addressing global challenges. It means all our citizens can benefit from belonging to this family in their daily lives.

Thanks to our strong ties, the cost of trade between Commonwealth members is more than 20% lower than the costs of trading with non-Commonwealth members.
We have made enormous strides in recent years in empowering women and girls, backing 4000 businesses owned by women across the Commonwealth to become more competitive.

And we are working hard together to promote our values. The Commonwealth came together to stand by Guyana when it was threatened. And Commonwealth missions have observed dozens of elections since we agreed our new Charter.