Key facts
- Ralph Gonsalves said British officials were vehement that reparations not be on the summit agenda.
- Gonsalves said Britain and Canada raised the prospect the British prime minister would not attend if it were included.
- Gonsalves said Britain circulated a false claim that India opposed the agenda item, and that India supported the March 25, 2026 UN resolution.
- Andy Burnham agreed on Friday to structured dialogue on reparations and to consider an apology, in a Guardian op-ed.
- Guyana's Irfaan Ali called for a Commonwealth subcommittee to work out dialogue details over six to 12 months.
- Kemi Badenoch said an apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade would be a navel-gazing distraction.
British officials initially insisted that discussions of reparations for slavery should not be on the agenda of the Commonwealth leaders' summit in Antigua and Barbuda, and warned that Andy Burnham would not attend if the subject was formally included, according to Ralph Gonsalves, a former prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines and a senior figure in the reparatory justice movement Repair Campaign.
Gonsalves told the Guardian that Britain was "vehement not to have the matter on the agenda" and that Canadian officials joined the British in raising the prospect that the British prime minister would not go. He also said Britain circulated a claim that India did not want the item on the agenda, which he said was untrue because India supported the UN General Assembly resolution on March 25, 2026.
Slavery reparations are not on the official agenda of the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit, which begins on Sunday. Trade, climate resilience and finance, sustainable debt, democracy and investment in opportunities for young people are among the stated priorities for the 56-nation bloc.
On Friday, Burnham went further than any of his predecessors by agreeing to structured dialogue and to consider an apology, in an op-ed for the Guardian. Gonsalves said the British government was coming "kicking and screaming to the table of structured dialogue. But at least they're coming."
Guyana's president Irfaan Ali welcomed Burnham's statement and called for a Commonwealth subcommittee to work out the details of the dialogue over the next six to 12 months. He said talks should move beyond putting a price on the indignity of slavery and toward addressing its developmental consequences.
Barbados's prime minister, Mia Mottley, thanked Burnham for "breaking new ground" while saying views on reparations differ. The Bahamas prime minister, Philip Davis, said the talks were about "the enduring consequences of slavery and the importance of justice, acknowledgment and meaningful redress."
As the meeting kicks off on Sunday, the 45th anniversary of Antigua and Barbuda's independence from British colonial rule, King Charles is indicating he will not follow Burnham and offer a full apology. King Charles and Burnham will be greeted with protests as they travel through Antigua's capital, St John's, to attend Chogm events.