Adam Jogee

I will, and I am very grateful to the right hon. Gentleman. I am glad he has found his voice. He was losing it earlier on today, and I am grateful to him for his intervention. From Devon to Newcastle-under-Lyme and up to north Yorkshire, he is right that we want to ensure that we hold on to not just that community spirit, but an understanding of what went before us and how we also ensure we do not fall back into the battles that we were able to win in previous years. In the latter half of the 20th century, the Commonwealth played a very important role in advancing the global cause of human dignity. The Singapore declaration of 1971 set out the recognition of racial prejudice and discrimination as an “evil of society”. This was followed by the Harare declarations of 1991, signed in the land of my father’s birth, which committed the Commonwealth to strengthen its ability to promote and protect democracy in member states. The Commonwealth offers so much more, as the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) alluded to when he prematurely intervened on my speech, in the arts, culture, sport, education, health and other spheres. And while I speak of the historical significance of the Commonwealth, we must also recognise that it is a living network with immense potential.