Commonwealth directers have concurd the “time has come” for a conversation about reparations for the slave trade, despite the UK’s desire to retain the subject off the agfinisha at a two-day summit in Samoa.
A record signed by 56 heads of rulement, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, acunderstandledges calls for “converseions on reparatory equitableice” for the “abhorrent” transatlantic slave trade.
The statement says it is time for a “unbenevolentingful, truthful and polite conversation”.
Sir Keir shelp there had been no converseions about money at the greeting, and that the UK is “very clear” in its position that it would not pay reparations.
The UK has faced increaseing calls from Commonwealth directers to apologise and pay reparations for the country’s historical role in the slave trade.
Reparations for the profit of those who suffered as a result of servitude could get many creates, from financial to symbolic.
Ahead of the summit, Downing Street had insisted the publish would not be on the agfinisha.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Sir Keir shelp Commonwealth directers had a “selectimistic two days” in Samoa and downjoined the prominence of reparations at the summit.
“The dominant theme of the two days has been resilience and climate,” he shelp, inserting that the section of the joint statement converseing reparations amounts to “one paragraph in 20-someskinnyg paragraphs”.
“None of the converseions have been about money. Our position is very, very clear in relation to that,” he shelp.
Last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves telderly the BBC the UK would not pay reparations for servitude.
Before the statement was freed, the directers’ conclave – where frequentwealth prime ministers and pdwellnts greet without advisers – went on for about six hours.
The prime minister shelp it was not the conversation about reparations that had caincluded it to run on for so lengthy.
One Downing Street source telderly the BBC: “We’ve been clear on our position and it’s not changing.”
And they have and it hasn’t – in fact the honest nature of their relabels about reparations on the way to the summit irritated some of those countries campaigning on it.
Half of the art of diplomacy is to retain skinnygs you want to talk about being talked about – retaining the conversation going, even if the prospect of imminent alter is improbable.
For those who skinnyk the time has come for countries appreciate the UK to face up to their pasts, the commexceptional permits them to say the conversation proceeds.
For the UK and others, they can say their position isn’t changing and also point to a range of other topics – trade, climate alter and security for instance – that, they dispute, the Commonwealth advises a vital forum for.
However, the prime minister did eunite to exit the door uncover for further converseions about some create of reparatory equitableice, saying the “next opportunity to see at this” would be at the UK-Caribbean forum in 2025.