This letter appears in today's Derby Telegraph:

Gay people still suffer in Commonwealth nations

"The Commonwealth is a comic-book phantom of international organisations. It is the ghost that walks."

This savage criticism was written by Greg Sheridan, the foreign editor of The Australian newspaper, to coincide with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Such a ferocious attack on a loose association of 54 countries is hardly surprising. In the teeth of a clear commitment from the Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma, to "tolerance, respect and understanding in matters of sexual orientation", it is a disgrace that 36 member states continue to treat same-sex relations as a serious criminal offence. Every day gay people suffer vilification and punishment inflicted by cruel laws dating from colonial days.BBC journalist Andrew Marr reminded the Prime Minister that people have looked to this conference to take a hard line with the homophobic nations in Africa.

I'm grateful to Mr Cameron for confirming that British foreign aid will be withheld from countries who continue to persecute their gay citizens.

Narvel Annable

Dovedale Crescent

Belper