Prime Minister Andy Burnham will join the King at the formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, where he is expected to discuss debt costs and the legacy of slavery with leaders from the group’s 56 member countries.
Downing Street said Burnham would outline a proposed “debt reset” to help Commonwealth countries facing rising interest payments. The UK also plans to lead two task forces: one on critical minerals and supply-chain vulnerabilities, and another on trade and investment. Both are due to be established by the end of the year and report at the next leaders’ summit.
The meeting comes amid calls for reparations and compensation for people affected by slavery. Burnham, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and former prime minister Gordon Brown are beginning discussions intended to open up a wider conversation with Commonwealth leaders.
The government is open to issuing a formal apology for the slave trade, potentially next year, when the UK is due to hold the rotating presidency of the G20. Miliband described an apology as a significant step, while saying the government does not consider financial reparations an appropriate or feasible response and does not want British taxpayers to make payments for historic acts.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has urged Burnham not to apologise, arguing that an apology could encourage countries to seek money from the UK. Burnham, meanwhile, has said that failing to discuss slavery’s legacy has damaged the Commonwealth’s ability to function.
The government’s approach marks a shift from the previous Commonwealth summit in Samoa, where former prime minister Keir Starmer said reparations were not on the agenda, despite calls from other leaders to discuss them.
Sources: BBC News UK.