Sir Keir Starmer, the UK Prime Minister, is facing pressure to address Britain’s role in the slave trade as he attends the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa.
He’s made it clear that he’d rather focus on “future-facing challenges” than dwell on the past, effectively dismissing calls for slavery reparations.
However, this issue might still come up during the summit, especially since all three candidates vying for the Commonwealth Secretary-General position have expressed support for reparations to countries affected by slavery and colonialism.
It’s worth noting that Caricom, a group of 15 Caribbean nations, has also called for discussions on reparations, and representatives from the region are expected to bring it up in Samoa. Despite this, Downing Street maintains that reparations are not on the agenda and that an apology won’t be offered.
The CHOGM summit, themed “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth,” aims to strengthen democratic institutions, combat climate change, and empower young people. The event will also include forums for women, youth, and businesses to ensure their voices are heard.
Mail Online reports that Starmer had told reporters that he would rather focused on “facing forward” – and suggested he wanted to help Commonwealth countries with climate change, than reparations.
“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,” Starmer said.
“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. This is about stance really, looking forward rather than looking backwards.”
Downing Street said no apologies will be offered during the event.
Starmer condemned slavery as “abhorrent,” but emphasized his focus on tackling present-day challenges rather than dwelling on past injustices.
His statement comes amid estimates suggesting that Britain’s involvement in slavery could warrant reparations ranging from £206 billion to £19 trillion across 14 countries.
Meanwhile, notable absences at the event will include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Instead, they’re attending the BRICS summit in Russia, hosted by President Vladimir Putin, alongside leaders from Brazil, China, and other prominent developing nations.
When asked about India and South Africa’s absence, Starmer shrugged it off, saying it’s up to them to decide where to attend.
