Zimbabwe's National Assembly Speaker, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, says the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has promised to use his "authority and influence" to support Zimbabwe's return to the Commonwealth.

Mudenda gave his account at Zimbabwe House in London after meeting Hoyle at Westminster, The Herald and NewZimbabwe reported. He was leading a delegation from Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade on a working visit to the UK at Hoyle's invitation, The Herald said.

There is no UK-side account of the meeting so far. We have not found a statement from the Commons Speaker's office or a parliamentary record of what Hoyle said, so his reported words come only through the Zimbabwean side.

What Mudenda says was agreed

Speaking to embassy staff, government officials, ZANU PF members and diaspora business people, Mudenda said: "What came out of our discussion was that the Speaker has committed himself to use his authority and influence to speak to the power of that being, that Zimbabwe must be re-accepted in the Commonwealth," according to The Herald.

NewZimbabwe reported that Hoyle said he would "engage with the Executive" to help speed up Zimbabwe's bid for full membership. The same outlet said the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) welcomed a Zimbabwean proposal for a phased return, starting with special observer status, and that Zimbabwe could be invited to the CPA conference in Ottawa in September 2027.

Mudenda also said the two parliaments should deal with each other as "sovereign equals" under Article 2 of the UN Charter, both outlets reported. "I came here not as a speaker from a former colony, but as a speaker on equal terms," he said, according to The Herald.

The critics

The Herald noted that critics argue Zimbabwe's readmission should be held back over concerns about human rights, democratic processes and the rule of law.

How readmission works

2003: Zimbabwe leaves the Commonwealth.

2018: It formally applies to rejoin. The application is still unresolved.

Now: Zimbabwe's Parliament is proposing observer status in the CPA, the body that links Commonwealth parliaments, as a first step.

Next: Full membership needs agreement at Commonwealth level. It is not a decision for the Commons Speaker, or for the UK alone.

Why it matters

The visit put Zimbabwe's Speaker in Westminster in person, and parts of it were held with the diaspora in London. It follows the arrival this month of a new UK ambassador in Harare, who said readmission was not a decision the UK could make on its own.

For Zimbabweans in Britain, a return would bring practical ties back into play, from Commonwealth scholarships and professional links to a seat at the table in Commonwealth institutions. But a Speaker's goodwill, even as Mudenda describes it, is not a government position. The real test will be whether member states, including the UK government, take up the case, and how they weigh the concerns critics have raised.

Sources: The Herald (Gibson Nyikadzino, Farirai Machivenyika), 24 Oct 2026: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/united-kingdom-speaker-pledges-support-for-zimbabwes-commonwealth-return/ · The Herald (Gibson Nyikadzino), 24 Oct 2026: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/uk-speaker-to-support-zims-readmission-to-commonwealth/ · NewZimbabwe (Anna Chibamu), 24 Oct 2026: https://www.newzimbabwe.com/uk-speaker-backs-zimbabwes-commonwealth-return-legislative-support/ · The Herald, 21 Oct 2026: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/new-speaker-of-parliament-jacob-mudenda-in-london-for-historic-visit/ · Pindula News, 24 Oct 2026: https://news.pindula.co.zw/2026/10/24/uk-commons-speaker-to-back-zimbabwes-commonwealth-return-says-mudenda/

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