Sir Keir Starmer remains opposed to apologising for the UK’s historical role in slavery, Downing Street has said, and talks of reparations are “not on the agenda” for a major meeting of Commonwealth leaders this week.
The Prime Minister will travel to Samoa this week for the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (Chogm), amid mounting pressure from the leaders of Caribbean nations to pay reparations for the impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Labour MPs have also reportedly called for the Prime Minister to address the calls as he attends the summit on the Pacific island nation.
The Government’s position on this has not changed, we do not pay reparations
But the Prime Minister’s official spokesman insisted he would not be discussing reparations at the gathering.
“Reparation’s not on the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting,” he said.
“The Government’s position on this has not changed, we do not pay reparations.
“The Prime Minister’s attending this week’s summit to discuss shared challenges and opportunities faced by the Commonwealth including driving growth across our economies.”
Asked again about an apology, the spokesman added: “The position on apology remains the same, we won’t be offering an apology at Chogm, but we will continue to engage with partners on the issues as we work with them to tackle the pressing challenges of today and indeed for the future generations.”
Five Labour backbenchers have urged the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary David Lammy to address reparations for slavery and colonialism while they are in Samoa, the Guardian newspaper has reported.
Among them are Clive Lewis (Norwich South), Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East), Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill), Marsha de Cordova (Battersea), and former minister Dawn Butler.
Mr Lammy was recently revealed to have supported the case for such measures to compensate for Britain’s role in the slave trade while he was a backbench Labour MP in the wake of the Windrush scandal.
All three candidates vying to become the next secretary-general of the 56-nation Commonwealth have also supported such reparations.
Shirley Botchwey of Ghana, Joshua Setipa of Lesotho and Mamadou Tangara of Gambia are vying to replace the UK’s Patricia Scotland as secretary-general of the association.
The summit will also be attended by King Charles, the head of the Commonwealth, following his tour in Australia.
Charles was berated by an Australian senator as he visited the country’s capital Canberra.
Lidia Thorpe, who campaigns on First Nations issues, shouted anti-colonial messages as the King made a speech at Parliament House, and declared: “You are not my king”.
While a majority of Commonwealth leaders are expected to attend the summit, India’s Narendra Modi and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa will be noticeably absent.
The two leaders have chosen instead to prioritise 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.
