Commonwealth leaders defy Starmer on £18trillion slavery reparations as they demand recognition for compensation claims at Samoa summit
Commonwealth nations are set to defy Britain and demand discussions for slavery reparations at a Commonwealth summit.
Commonwealth nations are set to defy Britain and demand discussions for slavery reparations at a Commonwealth summit.
Sir Keir Starmer will face down demands to pay up to £18trillion in compensation for Britians role in the slave trade, despite No.10s insistence that reparations are not on the agenda.
The summit of some 56 Commonwealth nations is set to begin Samoa on Friday - with Sir Keir Starmer becoming the first British PM to travel to a Pacific island.
The Prime Minister, who arrived in Samoa overnight before meeting with business leaders, previously said he would rather work with countries affected by slavery on future facing challenges, than spend a lot of time on the past.
But slavery reparations are set to be raised with him when he attends the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (Chogm).
The summit of some 56 Commonwealth nations is set to begin Samoa on Friday - with Sir Keir Starmer becoming the first British PM to travel to a Pacific island
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (second right) meets with Paul Schroder chief executive of AustralianSuper (left), John Neal CEO of Lloyds of London and Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America (right), following his arrival in Apia, Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Afrikan Reparations, said the UK still has that kind of veto reeks of the colonialism that people are still seeking some sort of resolution to
He is also under pressure from his own MPs - with one warning that it was extremely disrespectful to other Commonwealth nations not to discuss the issue.
All three candidates vying for the top job at the summit have called for reparations to countries that were affected by slavery and colonialism.
Caricom, a group of 15 Caribbean nations, has also called for talks to explore such measures, and representatives from the region are expected to raise the issue in Samoa.
Diplomatic sources said officials are working hard to negotiate an agreement to allow further research and a meaningful conversation.
According to the BBC, a draft communique states: Heads, noting calls for discussions on reparatory justice with regard to the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and chattel enslavement… agreed that the time has come for a meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation towards forging a common future based on equity.
It adds the heads of government would play an active role in bringing about such inclusive conversations addressing these harms and that they agreed to prioritise and facilitate further and additional research on the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and chattel slavery that encourages and supports the conversations and informs a way forward.
Sir Keir Starmer will face down demands to pay compensation for Britians role in the slave trade as he flies into a key Commonwealth summit today
It also condemned the abhorrent trade, chattel enslavement, the debilitaiton and dispossession of indigenous people.
Diplomats reportedly believe the addressing of the issue will mean it is top of the agenda at the next Commonwealth summit in two years.
It could leave Britain facing calls tp pay up to £18trn to its Commonwealth friends, a report by the University of West Indies said.
But Downing Street has insisted the subject is not on the agenda for the event and we wont be offering an apology.
Sir Keir told reporters as he travelled to Samoa last night that he was focused on facing forward - and suggested he wanted to help Commonwealth countries with climate change, rather than reparations.
The PM said: Ive talked to a lot of our Commonwealth colleagues in the Commonwealth family and theyre facing real challenges on things like climate in the here and now.
And in all the conversations Ive had with them, what theyre most interested in is can we help them working with, for example, international institutions, financial institutions on the sorts of packages they need right now relation to the challenges theyre facing right now.
Thats where Im going to put my focus rather than what will end up being very, very long endless discussions about reparations on the past. This is about stance really, looking forward rather than looking backwards.
Sir Keir said slavery was abhorrent, but that he would rather roll up my sleeves and work with them on the current future-facing challenges than spend a lot of time on the past.
Estimates for the likely reparations bill for British involvement in slavery in 14 countries range from £206billion to £18trillion.
Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Afrikan [correct spelling] Reparations, said the UK still has that kind of veto reeks of the colonialism that people are still seeking some sort of resolution to.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend an official Royal Ava ceremonial welcome at the National University of Samoa on October 24, 2024 in Apia, Samoa. The Kings visit to Australia is his first as monarch, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa will be his first as head of the Commonwealth
King Charles III is introduced to dignitaries by Samoas Prime Minister Fiam Naomi Mataafa as he arrives at Apia Airport for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia on October 23
Men hold flags as they wait for the arrival of Britains King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the village of Siumu, Samoa
I dont believe we should be in that position and its extremely disrespectful to those countries, she told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.
We dont see them as equals if we tell them what should be discussed and what shouldnt be discussed.
Last night it also emerged that Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis lectured a senior minister on the need for reparatory justice for the Caribbean.
Foreign Office Minister Baroness Chapman was told that Britain must pay for the enduring impact of centuries of exploitation.
Addressing a welcome event for the peer in the capital, Nassau, he said: Another issue that lies close to both our hearts is reparatory justice.
Its not an easy conversation, but its an important one. Our history is deeply intertwined and with that comes a responsibility to face the past with honesty. The time has come to have real dialogue about how we address these historical wrongs.
The call for repreparations is not simply about financial compensation.
As Caribbean nations, we stand united in our demand for justice for generations who came before us and those of us who are still living with that brutal history.
It is understood that Baroness Chapman did not discuss reparations during her visit, however, which was focused on formally ratifying trade deals between the UK and the Bahamas.
The peer also handed over 10,000 pages of historic documents pertaining to Bahamian Independence that had been stored in the National Archives.
While a majority of Commonwealth leaders are expected to attend the Commonwealth summit, Indias Narendra Modi and South Africas Cyril Ramaphosa will be noticeably absent.
Instead, they have chosen to attend the BRICS summit in Russia at the invitation of president Vladimir Putin, where the leaders of Brazil, China and several other prominent developing nations will also be present.
Asked whether he was sad India and South Africa were not attending the Commonwealth meeting, Sir Keir told reporters it was a matter for them as to where they attend.
A UK government spokesperson told the BBC they would not comment on the leak, but added: Reparations are not on the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. The governments position has not changed – we do not pay reparations.
We are focused on using the summit at [the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting] to discuss the shared opportunities which we can unlock across the Commonwealth – including securing more economic growth.
