Commonwealth in a better position after UK agreed to slavery talks, Burnham says

The Commonwealth is in a better position after a gathering which saw Britain agree to “time bound” talks to address the harms of the transatlantic slave trade, Andy Burnham has said.

The Prime Minister’s comments came after Commonwealth countries, including the United Kingdom, released a statement which said the time had come for Britain to hold meaningful talks about the harms caused by the slave trade.

Mr Burnham has said he is willing to make a formal apology on behalf of the UK for its role in slavery, but has ruled out the prospect of direct reparations.

Speaking to the Economist following the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) on the Caribbean island of Antigua, the Prime Minister said: “I think we have done something, we’ve achieved something out there.

“The retreat with the leaders today was quite moving actually at times.

“People have responded to what we’ve done.

“And the Commonwealth—sounds too grand for me to say this, doesn’t it?—but I certainly feel by us engaging in the way we have, I think we’ve done something to put the Commonwealth, hopefully, in a better position post-Chogm and ready to move forward.

“So it’s really nice to hear that.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks to the media on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, at the American University of Antigua (Kin Cheung/PA)

PA Wire

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

A communique released at the end of the meeting signalled that Britain had agreed to engage in talks about the legacy of slavery.

It 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.”