Keir Starmer resists strain on reparations for Britain’s function in slave commerce
Keir Starmer will resist pressure to open the door to reparations for Britain’s role in the slave trade at a major Commonwealth summit.
The Prime Minister arrives in Samoa on Thursday for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), amid growing demands for talks on reparatory justice over slavery and the UK’s colonial past. No10 tried to shut down the discussion ahead of the summit, saying reparations were not on the agenda and the UK Government’s position hasn’t changed. Downing Street has also ruled out making a formal apology.
But all three candidates vying to get elected as the new Commonwealth Secretary General at the summit have backed the move for countries affected by slavery and colonialism. Several Labour MPs have also piled pressure on the PM to act, with Norwich South MP Clive Lewis saying the refusal smacks of “a colonial attitude”.
But Mr Starmer told reporters travelling with him to the summit: “I think we should be facing forward. I’ve talked to a lot of our Commonwealth colleagues in the Commonwealth family and they’re facing real challenges on things like climate in the here and now.
“And in all the conversations I’ve had with them what they’re most interested in is can we help them working with for example international institutions, financial institutions on the sorts of packages they need right now relation to the challenges they’re facing right now. That’s where I’m going to put my focus rather than what will end up being very, very long endless discussions about reparations on the past.”
He added: “Now of course slavery is abhorrent everybody – the trade and the practice, there’s no question about that. But I think from my point of view and taking the approach I’ve just taken, I’d rather roll up my sleeves and work with them on the current future-facing challenges than spend a lot of time on the past.”
Mr Starmer also faced awkward questions over the decision by India and South Africa to snub the Commonwealth gathering in favour of a summit hosted by Vladimir Putin in Russia. He said it was a “matter for them” and insisted the Commonwealth meeting was “really important”.
It comes as the PM unveiled plans to boost trade across the Commonwealth through a new UK Trade Centre of Expertise. Trade specialists will provide assistance to developing countries to help them access and compete in global markets. “The combined GDP of the Commonwealth is expected to exceed $19.5 trillion in the next three years, we cannot let that economic heft go to waste,” Mr Starmer said.
