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

Britain has agreed to “engage in a structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith dialogue” with countries affected by the slave trade and its legacy, a Commonwealth leaders’ statement said.

In the joint statement, known as a communique, the Commonwealth leaders 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 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.”

Mr Burnham had faced pressure ahead of the gathering from the leaders of Caribbean and African Commonwealth nations to give them money for the long-term impacts of slavery.

While the Prime Minister disagreed with the calls, he has set out plans for a “debt reset” aimed at helping poorer countries struggling with repayments to borrowers.

He has argued that work to support member states amid rising global interest rate costs must include non-G7 donors and the private sector as he met counterparts from across the Commonwealth in St John’s, the capital of Antigua.

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.

Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, has insisted that British taxpayers will not pay a penny more as a result of Mr Burnham’s “new approach” to the Commonwealth.

Speaking to BBC Newscast, he accused previous governments of having had a tendency to “sweep under the carpet” the issue of slavery, and echoed his boss in ruling out extra financial contributions, as well as the prospect of reparations, for the UK’s historical role.

In 2006, Sir Tony Blair expressed “deep sorrow and regret” for Britain’s involvement in the slave trade when he was serving as prime minister, but stopped short of an official apology.

Mr Miliband criticised what he described as a “sorry, not sorry” from Sir Tony, and suggested that the Government might reach the point of a formal apology by the time it hosts the G20 leaders’ summit in Manchester next November.

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”.