Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has received a recent update on countries that have applied to join the Commonwealth.
There is a clear four-step process for those who wish to join the Commonwealth, managed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Candidates are considered against the criteria for membership, including the Commonwealth values as set out in the Commonwealth Charter. Members are consulted as part of that process. Decisions on membership are made by consensus by all member states.