The relationship between Poland and the United Kingdom is of a special nature. The Second World War wove our fates together in the most dramatic circumstances, through the Battle of Britain and the fall of Poland to the two totalitarianisms of Nazism and Communism.

With Europe under threat, Polish pilots, soldiers, and codebreakers supported Britain in the battle for the defence of the free world.

And after the war, which for Poland resulted in the loss of our sovereignty for over half a century, it was in London where, thanks to the hospitality offered to the Government-in-Exile, the continuity of the free Republic of Poland had been preserved. This we will never forget.

But with Polish-British intergovernmental consultations taking place in London today, it is not necessary to refer to history in order to recognise the contemporary importance of this relationship. Poles living in the UK are an exceptionally entrepreneurial and professionally active group.

Trade between our nations is growing. We share a similar approach to modern security challenges, and we both fulfil the Nato commitment to increase defence expenditure to 2 per cent of GDP. For years we have acted together to work towards a European Union that is open, less bureaucratic, and economically more competitive.