Commonwealth Day 2026

Henry Tufnell Excerpts

Wednesday 11th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Adam Jogee]

A very good choice. I am glad that she chose me. Actually, I am sure that she regrets it sometimes in this life. The importance of Northern Ireland both to the United Kingdom and to the Commonwealth is absolute, and he and I are at one on that.

The hon. Gentleman’s intervention demonstrates why I am delighted to have secured this debate: it provides colleagues across the House with an important opportunity not only to reflect on the legacy of the Commonwealth and our own individual stories and connections, but to look to the opportunities before us. Every one of us in this place is a Commonwealth citizen, and it is about time that we all started acting like it. Our world is ever more fractious, there is geopolitical instability almost everywhere we look and, following our departure from the European Union, it is vital for jobs and livelihoods in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, Northern Ireland and right across our United Kingdom that we nurture and further our connections with the wider world. Where better to start than with the Commonwealth—

[Henry Tufnell (Mid and South Pembrokeshire) (Lab)]

rose—

[Adam Jogee]

—and my hon. Friend the Member for Mid and South Pembrokeshire (Henry Tufnell)?

[Henry Tufnell]

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way, and for his excellent speech. In the light of our departure from the European Union, the intractable nature of our discussions with the EU, and our being unable to get a better deal than any other member state has, does he agree that we should look to benefit both his constituents and mine by taking a Commonwealth-first approach?

[Adam Jogee]

My hon. Friend—he is a very good friend—makes an excellent point. I hope that His Majesty’s Government will advance a Commonwealth-first approach in the coming years. My hon. Friend could not have put it better.