UK will not pay out over slavery, says Reeves
Faisal Islam
Economics
editor•@faisalislam
Paul Gribben
BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn01ljdl07xo
The UK is
"not going to be paying out" reparations for the transatlantic slave
trade, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told the BBC.
Her comments
come as diplomatic sources told the BBC that the Commonwealth heads of
government are preparing to begin a "meaningful conversation" about
an issue which could potentially mean the UK owing billions of pounds.
The
chancellor said she understood why Commonwealth leaders would be making such
demands, but it was not something the UK government would commit to.
UK Prime
Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is attending the summit, said he wanted to
discuss current challenges, especially climate change, rather than issues of
the past.
"That's
where I'm going to put my focus - rather than what will end up being very, very
long endless discussions about reparations," he said.
“Of course
slavery is abhorrent to everybody; the trade and the practice, there's no
question about that. But I think from my point of view… I'd rather roll up my
sleeves and work... on the current future-facing challenges.”
No UK
apology over slavery at Commonwealth summit
The
chancellor reiterated that message in an interview with the BBC, saying:
"We’re not going to be paying out the reparations that some countries are
speaking about.
"I
understand why they make those demands but that’s not something that this
government is doing."
Commonwealth
leaders at the Samoa summit are expected to defy the UK and debate ways of
securing reparations for historical slavery. At its height, Britain was the
world's biggest slave-trading nation.
Downing
Street insists the issue is not on the agenda for the summit of 56 Commonwealth
countries.
King Charles
is in Samoa for a four-day visit and is due to formally open the summit later
with a speech paying tribute to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, and
the role the Commonwealth played in her life.
The King
will say how "all nations are equal in this unique and voluntary
association" which "is committed to developing free and democratic
societies", and will also speak of the "existential threat" of
climate change and its impact on Commonwealth nations.
He will say
that the Commonwealth, thanks to its scale and diversity - representing a third
of humanity - can "discuss the most challenging issues with openness and
respect", and also speak to the importance of recognising and
understanding the path of history, and where that may have given rise to
contemporary challenges.
What form
could reparations for slavery take?
In the
run-up to this year's summit, there have been growing calls from Commonwealth
leaders for the UK to apologise and make reparations worth for the country’s
historic role in the slave trade.
A report
published last year by the University of West Indies - backed by Patrick
Robinson, a judge who sits on the International Court of Justice - concluded
the UK owed more than £18tn in reparations for its role in slavery in 14
Caribbean countries.
Frederick
Mitchell, foreign minister of the Bahamas, believes the UK could change its
stance and he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “Once you broach the subject
it may take a while for people to come around but come around they will."
Reparatory
justice for slavery can come in many forms, including financial reparations,
debt relief, an official apology, educational programmes, building museums,
economic support, and public health assistance.
On a visit
to Kenya last year, the King expressed the "greatest sorrow and
regret" over the "wrongdoings" of the colonial era, but stopped
short of issuing an apology, which would have required the agreement of
ministers.
Mr Mitchell
told the Commonwealth gathering: "It’s a simple matter – it can be done,
one sentence, one line."
He said to
the BBC: "The word is apologise, that’s the word."
Asked how
much reparations should amount to, he said it was not just a matter of money
but of “respect, acknowledging the past was a wrong that needs to be
corrected”.
He said
member countries "want the conversation to start" but "there
appears to be even a reluctance to have the conversation".
Earlier, a
UK government spokesperson said: “Reparations are not on the agenda for the
Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. The government’s position has not
changed – we do not pay reparations.
"We are
focused on using the summit at [the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]
to discuss the shared opportunities which we can unlock across the Commonwealth
– including securing more economic growth.”
It is
understood the Downing Street position – that reparatory justice is not on the
agenda – while technically correct, has angered some Caribbean ministers when
it was obvious the issue would be discussed at the summit.
Some
non-Caribbean countries are not unsympathetic towards the British position and
want the summit to focus more on existing challenges - such as climate change,
which is adversely affecting many Commonwealth countries, about half of whom
are small island states.
But all
three candidates hoping to be elected this weekend as the next secretary
general of the Commonwealth - Shirley Botchwey of Ghana, Joshua Setipa of
Lesotho and Mamadou Tangara of Gambia - have made clear they support reparatory
justice.
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