Theresa May backs Prince Charles to be the next head of the Commonwealth
1 min read
Theresa May has thrown her weight behind Prince Charles as the next head of the Commonwealth.
Senior Labour politicians - including Jeremy Corbyn - have questioned whether he should succeed his mother the Queen in the prestigious role.
The Labour leader said: "I think the Commonwealth ought to really get a chance to decide who its own head is in the future.
"The Queen clearly is personally very committed to the Commonwealth. But after her I think maybe it's a time to say, 'Well actually the Commonwealth should decide who its own President is on a rotational basis'."
Shadow International Development Secretary Kate Osamor went even further in an interview with The House magazine.
She said: "I just don’t think it should be him. I don’t really know what he’s been up to of late. He’s not been that vocal on issues."
But the Prime Minister's spokesman said: "The UK supports the Prince of Wales as the next head of the Commonwealth. He has been a proud supporter of the Commonwealth for more than four decades and spoken passionately about the organisation's unique diversity."
The question of who should succeed the Queen is likely to be debated at this week's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London.
Any decision must be agreed by consensus between the organisation's members.
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