Commonwealth leaders agreed a communiqué welcoming British participation in structured, time-bound talks on the historical harms of the transatlantic slave trade. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is open to a formal apology while ruling out direct reparations. Officials will settle the timetable later, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband suggesting discussions could conclude in around a year.
The UK agreed to structured, time-bound dialogue with parties affected by the transatlantic slave trade.[1], [2]
Commonwealth leaders included the commitment in their joint communiqué at the end of the Antigua and Barbuda summit. The text calls for inclusive, good-faith discussions addressing the trafficking of enslaved Africans and its historical harms. The British offer of talks is now recorded in the summit's agreed conclusions.[1]
British officials said the timeframe would be agreed later. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband suggested discussions could conclude in around a year. Asked whether a formal apology might be reached by the G20 leaders' meeting in Manchester next November, he broadly accepted that prospect. Participants will settle the timeframe through the structured dialogue; the communiqué does not set a fixed date.[1]
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is open to a formal apology for Britain's role in the slave trade while ruling out direct financial reparations. King Charles III, addressing the summit as head of the Commonwealth, spoke of slavery's continuing shadow across member countries and expressed personal sorrow. African and Caribbean leaders have long sought recognition and redress for the trade's lasting consequences.[1]
