Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

UK, Australia & NZ ‘punishing’ Commonwealth Secretariat

Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland has criticised the UK, Australia and New Zealand for suspending their funding of the body that runs the international organisation, the BBC has learned.

In a confidential letter to diplomats in London, Lady Scotland describes the three countries as using a "big stick" to "punish" the Commonwealth Secretariat over concerns about its financial procedures.

She urged the countries to reverse their decision to withhold almost £7m a year, which she says has left her organisation facing a financial crisis. She claimed small member states in particular would suffer from the loss of funding.

In the letter, which was leaked to the BBC, the former Labour minister also appealed to Commonwealth diplomats to end what she called the "biased leaks" of "classified information" from within the organisation that, she claimed, had generated "malicious media stories".

Lady Scotland announced earlier that she had formally asked to be reappointed for a second four-year term of office.

Commonwealth heads of government will decide if she should get a second term at their summit in Rwanda in June. Some member states are known to be seeking alternative candidates.

Lady Scotland's letter followed a meeting of Commonwealth high commissioners in London - who together form the organisation's board of governors - to discuss an internal audit report by accountants KPMG into the secretariat's financial procedures.

The report found that normal competitive tendering rules at the secretariat had been waived 50 times over three years.

Lady Scotland was herself accused of circumventing the rules when she awarded a lucrative contract to a company run by a friend, something her lawyers insisted was fully justified.

The UK, Australia and New Zealand have told Lady Scotland their voluntary funding for the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) will be suspended until external auditors have confirmed the secretariat has tightened up its financial procedures.

In her letter - dated 13 February - Lady Scotland claimed her secretariat had implemented most of the recommendations made by KPMG.

In her account of the meeting on 6 February, Lady Scotland added: "Three of the 54 member states have indicated that they will hold or reduce CFTC contributions. A large number of board members regretted this decision and appealed to the three countries to reconsider their decision.

"It was said that money should not be used as a 'big stick' to punish the Commonwealth as developing countries, especially small states, will suffer the consequences of these cuts."


'Half-truths'


Lady Scotland also appealed to the diplomats to "think carefully" about leaks to the media after the BBC obtained a copy of the auditors' report into the secretariat.

"A number of high commissioners in London and senior officials and ministers in capitals have shown dismay at such malicious media stories," she said.

"They portray a very negative picture of the Commonwealth. We owe a duty of discretion to our member states and the public in general.

"Such biased leaks distort the reality, present half-truths out of context and put the good work of the staff and member states in jeopardy.

"This is not, and cannot be believed to be, in the collective interest of Commonwealth countries collectively."


Things you might not know about the Commonwealth


Is the Commonwealth good for Britain?


She added: "No organisation can function properly if classified information on sensitive matters are persistently leaked to the press.

"It jeopardises the organisation's reputation. I know that the Commonwealth is precious to us all. This letter is an appeal to think about the issue of media leaks carefully."

A spokesman for the Commonwealth Secretariat said the organisation did not comment on leaked documents.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×