The meeting of the Commonwealth (Chogm) heads of government is also the first to be hosted by a “new” Commonwealth member – Rwanda was never a British colony, but joined the organization voluntarily in 2009. Boris Johnson is expected to present the financial benefits of the 54-member organization amid popular Democratic campaigns by top members such as Australia and Jamaica. The prime minister, however, will address a number of key issues at the conference.
Keeping the Commonwealth united
Johnson will try to ensure that the meeting will be a financial success. In previous Chogms, bilateral agreements and agreements have been signed. The prime minister wrote in the Daily Telegraph on Monday that being a member has “enormous practical value for trade” and described the benefits as a “Commonwealth advantage”. Members have 21% lower transaction costs and investment levels that are 27% higher than between third countries, he said. “Despite all the differences between us, we are united by an invisible thread of common values, history and institutions and, of course, the English language,” Johnson wrote. “We will meet on equal terms as old friends who know each other well.”
Ensure he survives the Queen’s death
Prince Charles will represent the Queen, the head of the Commonwealth, when the prime ministers and presidents gather in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. As the Queen is unable to attend all the events on her platinum jubilee, the impact of the Prince of Wales’ final succession to the throne on the way the monarchy is treated abroad remains unknown. Following the Barbados decision to become a democracy last year, and amid growing support for republicanism in Australia and Jamaica, the Buckingham government and Palace know they need to clarify the usefulness of the Commonwealth if it is to continue after Charles becomes king.
Ensure that the Rwandan system does not dominate
Johnson may well meet with Prince Charles, and any such meeting will be scrutinized by the world media following reports that the heir to the throne is “frightened” by the government’s plans to send people seeking refuge in Rwanda. As the Prince of Wales is also expected to meet with Paul Kagame, the Rwandan leader who signed the refugee agreement, there is ample room for embarrassment and diplomatic turmoil on all sides. Charles’s spokesmen said they were “politically neutral” and would not comment on “allegedly anonymous private conversations”. Johnson has already been urged by his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart to use his influence in the multimillion-pound deal to urge the Kagame government to stop funding guerrilla attacks in eastern Congo.
Internal issues
You can run a conference, but you can not hide. Johnson may be 4,000 miles from Westminster, but he will have to respond on Friday to the results of two by-elections that could determine his political future. Wakefield, as well as Tiverton and Honiton, will elect new MPs following the resignations of Imran Ahmad Khan, who has been jailed for sexually assaulting a teenager, and Neil Parish, who was arrested for watching pornography in the House of Commons. It comes as the Tories face tremendous poll ratings and Johnson struggles to recover from months of dirty stories, including Partygate. Earlier this month, 41 percent of lawmakers voted to remove him from office. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST This week, further allegations surfaced that he tried to hire his ex-wife Carrie Johnson as his chief of staff when she was his mistress and his then-wife was being treated for cancer. A spokeswoman for Carrie Johnson denied the allegations. Johnson has vowed to lead his party to “victory again”, but there are private concerns that the loss of two seats on Thursday could prompt moves to change Tory’s party rules to remove him from office.
