Sir Keir Starmer has urged Commonwealth nations to ‘look forward, not back’ as he attempts to stave off a row over slavery reparations.
Speaking at a summit in Samoa, the Prime Minister confronted calls for Britain to pay financial reparations for its historical part in the slave trade.
During an executive session at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Sir Keir said he understood the ‘strength of feeling’ over the issue.
But he called on the countries to work together ‘to make sure the future is not in the shadow of the past, but is illuminated by it’.
Downing Street has insisted reparations are not on the table at the summit, but it remains unclear whether a reference to the issue will be included on the final communique.
As No10 batted away claims that Britain could be open to some non-cash forms of reparations, the PM also used a BBC interview to say the focus should be on ‘today’s challenges’.
He added this included climate resilience and boosting trade between Commonwealth nations.
Sir Keir suffered some embarrassment at the Samoa summit when his meeting with Ghana’s president, who has previously called for reparations, was axed.
Sir Keir Starmer has urged Commonwealth nations to ‘look forward, not back’ as he attempts to stave off a row over slavery reparations
Speaking at a summit in Samoa, the Prime Minister confronted calls for Britain to pay financial reparations for its historical part in the slave trade
The PM used the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHGM) to call on nations to work together ‘to make sure the future is not in the shadow of the past, but is illuminated by it’
Sir Keir during a meeting with the President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali – a supporter of reparations
The PM had been set to sit down with Nana Akufo-Addo. But they were instead expected to speak at a dinner hosted by King Charles, or at a final meeting between Commonwealth leaders on the summit’s final day.
The Ghanaian delegation were reported to have not planned to raise the topic of reparations at the meeting with Sir Keir, but are keen to start a discussion on the matter.
Sir Keir did, however, meet with the President of Guyana Irfaan Ali – another supporter of reparations – though the matter was not raised as they shook hands in front of the media.
Asked about the reparations row in his interview with the BBC, Sir Keir said his ‘focus is on the forward look, not the backward look’.
‘We should look at what are today’s challenges in this group of countries represented here today,’ he added.
‘And in the discussions I’ve already had before I came here, and since I’ve been here, it’s very clear to me that the major challenges are resilience in the face of climate challenges and also the question of how we improve trade between our countries.’
Asked if he thinks this generation can be held responsible for the actions of their predecessors, the PM replied: ‘I think our generation can say the slave trade and practice was abhorrent, and we should, you know, we talk about our history.
‘We can’t change our history, but we should certainly talk about our history.’
Downing Street this morning played down reports it could be open to supporting some forms of non-financial reparatory justice, such as restructuring financial institutions and providing debt relief.
The PM’s deputy spokesperson said: ‘Our position on reparations is clear, and that goes for other forms of non-financial reparatory justice too.
‘The Prime Minister’s focus is on addressing the challenges that we face.’
Sir Keir has announced Britain will host a UK-Caribbean forum in 2025, ‘focused on looking forward, not back’.
Climate resilience, education, trade and growth would be on its agenda, the PM said.