Two of the most important things that stir my sense of patriotism are the British sense of fair play and the support we’ve traditionally given to the vulnerable. These aren’t just abstract values, they’re qualities that have shaped our national character over centuries, woven into our laws, our communities, and even our everyday interactions. They resonate deeply with me because they speak both to my shared humanity and to my Christian faith, which calls me to see the image of God in every person and to treat others with compassion, justice, and dignity.

When we begin to ignore these qualities, when we allow vulnerable people to be treated harshly or spoken of as if they’re somehow less than human, we don’t just harm those individuals, we diminish ourselves. We chip away at something that has long been considered intensely British, that instinct for fairness, that willingness to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

I fear that in recent years we’ve started to drift from this, and in doing so, we risk losing what truly makes us great as a country. Our greatness is not to be found in wealth, power, or status, but in our character, in the way we’ve cared for one another, especially the weakest among us. If we let go of that, we risk becoming a nation unrecognizable to our best selves.