Keir Starmer is preparing to give ground on slavery reparations as he attends a Commonwealth summit amid demands from Commonwealth nations for payments of up to £18 trillion. The Telegraph has more.
The Prime Minister has rejected calls for financial reparations, but is reportedly considering non-cash options such as providing debt relief.
Other possible options could include a formal apology, supporting public health institutions and educational programmes for students from Commonwealth nations. …
It comes after the Prime Minister landed in Samoa for the Commonwealth heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting this week to a row over whether reparations should be on the agenda.
Caribbean countries are seeking to get a reference to reparations included in the summit’s final communique, despite opposition from the U.K.
However, following the furore, Downing Street is said to be considering other ways in which the U.K. can provide reparations for slavery. …
Any consideration of proposals is likely to be seized by diplomats as a means to establish the principle that the Government admits to wrongdoing.
There will be concerns that this could lead to demands for financial reparations further down the line.
A report published last year by the University of West Indies, supported by Patrick Robinson, a judge who sits on the International Court of Justice, concluded that the U.K. owed £18 trillion in reparations for its role in slavery in 14 Caribbean countries – a sum almost seven times the size of the entire British economy.
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