Prime Minister Andy Burnham has agreed to a “time-bound, good-faith” process for making a formal apology for Britain's role in the development of slavery at this week's Commonwealth summit in the Caribbean. Critics, including columnist Leo McKinstry, argue that this move could lead to massive compensation payouts that would financially ruin the UK.
Commonwealth's Unity Based on Grievances
The Commonwealth, often seen as a benign imperial relic promoting co-operation and trade, is described by McKinstry as having inflicted immense damage on British society by accelerating mass immigration and distorting the voting system. He argues that the only real cohesion in the Commonwealth is provided by anti-British grievances, led by the agitation for reparations.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband asserted that an apology would not cost taxpayers anything. However, McKinstry warns that such a step could be taken as an admission of liability, opening the floodgates to expensive legal claims.
Financial Risks of Reparations Demands
Burnham's offer of £40 million in green energy support for Caribbean governments “to atone” for the slave trade is described as a drop in the ocean compared to the gargantuan payments demanded by the reparations lobby. In 2023, a report from the Brattle Group of lawyers, historians, and economists, led by UN judge Patrick Robinson, argued that Britain “owes” no less than £18 trillion in reparations.
That sum is more than five times the entire annual output of the British economy. McKinstry argues that any attempt to meet even a small fraction of this total would lead to national humiliation and financial ruination.
Criticism of Burnham's Agenda
McKinstry also criticises Burnham's attachment to what he calls the “advanced woke agenda,” noting his actions as Mayor of Greater Manchester, including appointing an LGBT+ panel and making a formal apology to the LGBT community. As Prime Minister, Burnham has announced he is recruiting a Muslim adviser, and his government plans to introduce a new definition of Islamophobia.
The column also highlights examples of what it calls “indoctrination” in public bodies, such as the NHS Foundation Trust in Swindon urging “white-identifying” staff to sign up for a “disrupt racism” course, and OFWAT hosting 25 diversity sessions over the last two years.
McKinstry concludes that the Commonwealth is at risk of looking like a protection racket, and that resolve, not cowardice, is needed in the face of this bullying.
