Commonwealth must acknowledge ‘painful aspects of past’ – King

There have been growing calls from Commonwealth leaders for the UK to apologise and make reparations.

Ahead of the summit, Downing Street insisted the issue of reparations would not be on the agenda.

However, several Commonwealth leaders – particularly those from Caribbean countries – are expected to defy the UK and hold discussions on how they can secure reparatory justice.

As well as financial reparations, reparatory justice can come in several forms, including debt relief, an official apology, educational programmes, building museums, economic support, and public health assistance.

The draft of the summit communique – made known to the BBC – currently says that the heads of government noted “calls for discussions on reparatory justice with regard to the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and chattel enslavement” and “agreed that the time has come for a meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation towards forging a common future based on equity.”

British officials succeeded in blocking plans for an entirely separate declaration on reparatory justice, but at the moment are having to accept that some text on the subject will appear in the final communique.

Asked about the topic by the BBC, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said slavery was “abhorrent” and it was important to “talk about our history”.

But he added he wanted the summit to focus on “today’s challenges”, such as climate change and boosting trade within the Commonwealth.

On Thursday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves ruled out making any reparation payments, saying: “That’s not something that this government is doing.”