Commonwealth may yet be a saviour for the United Kingdom
Old colonies have never been priority, but now may be time to rebuild those bridges
The UK does not have to turn its back on Europe to trade with the Commonwealth. Photograph: Getty Images
The British Commonwealth, that ramshackle totem of former imperial glory, is open for business with post-Brexit Britain. Rekindling trade with English-speaking former colonies may look expedient at a time of continued national disquiet. But is it practicable?
The 53-nation Commonwealth evolved out of the British Empire at a time in the late 1940s when Britain no longer had the strength to carry out its overseas responsibilities and the US began to intrude its influence. The Commonwealth belongs to a mythic golden age when lives were organised and given meaning by the Union flag, as they no longer are.