Prime Minister Andy Burnham has reaffirmed his refusal to pay reparations over Britain's role in the slave trade, while saying he is prepared to take part in a "meaningful dialogue" with Commonwealth partners on the issue. Speaking at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, he said previous UK governments had not engaged as much as allies wanted.
Structured Dialogue Proposed
Mr Burnham said: "That is what's said by some of our partners, that there wasn't sufficient dialogue - particularly on that crucial issue of the slave trade. It matters greatly to them, and obviously it's important as part of a partnership that you listen when people want to raise things."
He added: "And that's what we've suggested this week with a structured dialogue. And that has led to a very positive event, and people have come towards us to say that they appreciate what we've done."
Asked if he could guarantee that not a single penny of taxpayers' money would go to Commonwealth countries as a result of the new approach, Mr Burnham said: "I've been very clear that we do not support reparations." He went on: "But it's not the case that we don't support countries in the Commonwealth around development and helping them with debt issues that they've got, green finance."
Trade and Partnership Benefits
He said: "That's what we've done under all governments, and in my view we should continue to do." The Prime Minister added: "What we need to have is that meaningful dialogue where we take time to listen."
He highlighted the economic dimension: "And let's be clear: the Commonwealth is an important part of our trade, too. It's a two-way arrangement. Trade is up between the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth in the last year, quite significantly actually. So you need to see it in that way as well. It benefits Britain to be here, listening to people, building that new partnership. And that's good for growth in Britain."
King's Speech and Ghana's Response
Earlier, King Charles said in a speech that slavery "fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow", but did not offer an apology. This followed comments from the President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, who said Britain had shown a "shift in some very strong positions" and is "more open to interacting with the rest of the world".
Mr Mahama said the Prime Minister's approach "creates a first step for us to continue to work to see how we can put this whole issue of transatlantic slave trade and colonialism behind us".
Meeting with Sir Idris Elba
Sir Idris Elba also congratulated Mr Burnham on entering Downing Street as the pair met on the sidelines of the summit. The Prime Minister said he was trying to use his premiership to "build some positivity" as he sat down with the Golden Globe-winning star on Tuesday. They were meeting to discuss Sir Idris's work with the King's Trust and will also likely discuss knife crime in the UK, over which the actor has long campaigned.
Mr Burnham recounted his "baptism of fire" playing cricket with Sir Viv Richards straight after stepping off the plane on Monday, when he fell over while attempting a risky single. He said: "I arrived and they had me playing cricket with Sir Viv Richards literally off the plane. It's pretty tough, that isn't it… baptism of fire in the West Indies."
Sir Idris laughed and said "I've wanted to meet for a while", before congratulating the Prime Minister on entering Downing Street and adding: "What a task." Mr Burnham added: "It's a big one. I'm trying to build some positivity."
On Monday, the Luther star, 54, also bumped into the King on the sidelines of the Caribbean summit. Sir Idris, goodwill ambassador for the King's Trust, asked the monarch: "How are you doing though, are you having a good time?" and then sympathised with Charles getting caught in the rain over the weekend.
