Frome and Somerton MP David Warburton writes:

The Prime Minister has just returned from New York, where he embarked on an essential mission of climate diplomacy ahead of Britain hosting of the COP26 summit in Glasgow in just a few weeks' time. It is tremendous to see the UK playing a leading role on the world stage. As a country, just in the past year or so we have hosted the G7 summit and developed a COVID-19 vaccine for the world, meanwhile new trade deals are being signed at pace. We are stepping-up to ambition of 'Global Britain' we hear so much about, promoting democracy, peace and human rights. But what we don't hear so much about, is global Somerset…

When I was last in America, I remember being offered Cheddar cheese in just about every sandwich shop and burger bar I sampled. Of course, this wasn't proper Cheddar – the floppy orange specimen on offer was a mere shadow of the genuine article. But the point remains that Somerset-inspired cheese is known and enjoyed around the globe. And indeed, after visiting Frome Cheese Show a couple of weeks ago I can attest that there are no better role models for the world of cheese than those produced by the many farms in Somerton and Frome – Longmans, Montgomery, Wyke Farms; to name just a few.

Somerset is certainly known for its delicious food, but our county hasn't always played host to good cooking. King Alfred famously burnt the cakes of the lady who gave him shelter on the Somerset Levels, only to be chastised by the woman who did not realise she was hosting a King. While this story may be apocryphal, what happened next is historical fact. Alfred – the only English monarch in to be given the epithet "the Great" – rallied his armies near King Alfred's Tower on the eastern edge of my constituency and went on to defeat the Viking Great Army. Undeniably, this set in motion a chain of events that would lead to a unified England, which would influence centuries of British, European and World history to follow. It all started in Somerset folks.

Our county also played its role in the development of liberal democracy. Some 71 years after Alfred defeated the Great Viking Army, an early form of Parliament called the Witan met in Somerton to discuss the burning issues of the day. Almost 300 years later, King John would sign the Magna Carta – a foundation stone of our constitution – to be enforced by William Malet of Curry Mallet and 24 other Magna Carta Barons. Over 700 years later, a 1297 copy of Magna Carta – one of only four in existence – was discovered in the possession of King's School in Bruton. It's now displayed proudly in the Australian Parliament. Such is the importance of Britain's positive influence in the world – and such is the importance of our quiet, yet quite significant, corner of Somerset.