UK agrees to ‘time-bound’ talks on ‘historical harms’ of slave trade

Britain has agreed to engage in “structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith” talks that address the “historical harms” of the transatlantic slave trade, Commonwealth leaders have said. In a joint statement, the group of nations said the time had come for a “meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation towards forging a common future based on equity”. It comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham opened the door to a formal apology on behalf of the UK for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, while ruling out the prospect of direct reparations.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks to the media in St John’s, Antigua, where he is attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Kin Cheung/PA) PA Wire The communique released at the end of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Antigua said: “We welcome the agreement of the Government of the United Kingdom to engage in a structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith dialogue with affected parties addressing the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and its historical harms.”

Officials said the timeframe for the process would be agreed at a later date, though Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has suggested it would likely conclude within a year. Asked whether the Government might reach the point of a formal apology by the time it hosts the G20 leaders’ summit in Manchester next November, he told BBC Newscast: “Broadly speaking, yes.” Mr Burnham has used his first Chogm to promise to listen to other member states and pursue a “new approach” to the Commonwealth after the last summit in 2024, saw Downing Street resist calls for an apology and seek instead to focus on the future of the group.

In keeping with his predecessors, he has rejected the idea of paying reparations but has said he wants to look at ways to help poorer countries struggling with debt repayments. The UK will also allocate £40 million over three years from within existing budgets to speed up critical infrastructure investment including green energy in the Caribbean Mr Miliband has insisted British taxpayers will not pay a penny more as a result of the shift in position amid questions about the scope of future financial support after the Prime Minister declined to say whether there might be additional contributions stopping short of direct reparations.

But he accused previous governments of having a tendency to “sweep under the carpet” the issue of slavery more broadly and said the last summit had culminated in a “verbal punch-up” which the Government wanted to avoid. He also criticised what he described as a “sorry, not sorry” from Sir Tony Blair, who in 2006 expressed “deep sorrow and regret” for Britain’s involvement in the slave trade but stopped short of an official apology. Calls for an apology and reparations have grown in recent years, with St Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J Pierre, chairman of the 15-member Caribbean Community (Caricom) reportedly saying the economic and political bloc was “ready to engage” in the “structured dialogue” Mr Burnham had proposed.

The Commonwealth leaders’ summit coincided with a visit by the King, who is the head of the group, to the Caribbean. Charles addressed the legacy of slavery as he opened the gathering, telling leaders that it was a “shameful chapter of history” which “fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow”. The Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has urged the prime minister not to issue an apology for slavery, saying it would give countries a reason to ask the UK for reparations.

She said: “I don’t think we should be giving any money to compensate people for the slave trade, and I don’t think that Andy Burnham needs to be apologising because it is a lever to wedge open the door to ask for cash.”