THE eyes of the entire world were on Britain this week as we celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

There is a no more dignified public servant than Her Majesty. Her 60 years of quiet dedication to duty is inspirational.

And the jubilee provided another opportunity to celebrate and be proud of being British.

We didn’t let the summer rain stop us from joining the party and having a good time in tribute to our great Monarch. The community came together, with as many as six million people involved in street parties on Sunday.

And the streets of London were filled not just with Brits, but with visitors from around the world, a measure of the respect extended to her across the globe.

It was Her Majesty’s very clear wish that the Jubilee celebrations should unite the Commonwealth. Great Britain may not be the imperial power it once was, but our great nation is still a force for leadership in the world. We have a responsibility to continue to be a force for diplomatic and humanitarian intervention.

It is why we led the international effort to liberate Libya.

It is why we are using our aid budget to pay for vaccinations and medicines which will save lives. And, it is why Britain is using its presidency of the G8 to lead an international effort to combat sexual violence.

This initiative, launched last week by William Hague and Angelina Jolie, is recognition that rape is as much a weapon of war as murder and torture. During the Bosnian war as many as 50,000 rapes were committed, but only 30 people have so far been convicted. And we hear chilling reports of rape as a tool of repression in Syria, not just against women and girls, but also against men and boys.

This week’s celebrations have made me proud to be British. If we continue to use our influence on the world stage positively, future generations will enjoy the same pride that so many of us do.