Dame Meg Hillier MP has praised the strength of the Commonwealth as a vital alliance in uncertain times, calling for the organisation to be ‘robustly supported’.

The Labour MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch was speaking ahead of the Tynwald Commonwealth Day dinner, held on Friday, March 14, where she was the guest speaker.

‘The Commonwealth family is a strength on which to draw and from which to learn,’ she said. ‘In short, the connections and alliances the Commonwealth creates are enormously powerful.’

Dame Meg, who has served in Parliament since 2005, is known for her work in financial scrutiny. She was chair of the public accounts committee from 2015 to 2024 and now leads both the Treasury select committee and the liaison committee in Westminster.

She highlighted the importance of rigorous oversight of government spending, particularly during times of economic hardship.

‘We serve as the “voice” of the public,’ she said. ‘Our role is to ensure value for money and to work in real time to catch issues as they arise.’

She also praised the international collaboration fostered by the Commonwealth Association of Public Accounts Committees (CAPAC), which allows for shared learning across member nations.

The Speaker of the House of Keys, Juan Watterson SHK, was recently appointed chair of CAPAC.

He said: ‘It’s a great honour to follow such illustrious company as Dame Meg. The Isle of Man can be rightly proud of the role we have played over many years in supporting and developing the Commonwealth family.’

Dame Meg also shared insights from her own constituency, where she values honest conversations with residents. ‘People speak to me with no filter – which is great,’ she said.

She added that engaging directly with voters was vital to understanding public priorities and shaping effective scrutiny in Parliament.