UK Reportedly Pressed to Keep Slavery Reparations Off Commonwealth Summit Agenda

On the eve of the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Antigua and Barbuda, a senior figure in the Caribbean reparations movement is saying that British officials tried to keep the subject off the table. Ralph Gonsalves, a former prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines and a senior figure in the Repair Campaign, told the Guardian that Britain was "vehement" that reparations for slavery should not appear on the formal agenda. He said the officials went further, raising the prospect that Andy Burnham, the British prime minister, would not attend if it did.

Gonsalves was careful about how he sourced this. It was, he said, his understanding from informed circles. He added that Canadian officials had joined their British counterparts in raising the possibility of the prime minister staying away. He also said a false story was circulated that India did not want reparations on the agenda. That was not so, he said, pointing to India's support at the UN general assembly resolution of 25 March 2026.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office rejected all of it. A spokesperson said the government "categorically" rejected what it called a completely untrue accusation, that the UK had approached the conversation in good faith, and that it had at no point told any other Chogm member what should not be on an agenda. The government, the spokesperson said, respects the right of others to raise matters as they wish, though its own position on reparations is clear.

The formal agenda, for the summit that begins Sunday, does not list reparations. The stated priorities for the 56-nation bloc, which spans Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Americas, the Pacific and Europe, are trade, climate resilience and finance, sustainable debt, democracy and investment in opportunities for young people. Gonsalves argued that leaving the issue off the page does not keep it out of the room. Given developments at the UN, in Africa and the Caribbean, and inside the British parliament and Labour party, in both the Commons and the Lords, he said, it is an issue that "you can't duck any more". He expects it to surface in the leaders' private retreat, where the format and details of a structured dialogue are likely to be discussed, though the dialogue itself is unlikely to take place at the summit.

The dispute follows a shift on Friday, when Burnham, in an op-ed for the Guardian, went further than any previous British prime minister by agreeing to structured dialogue and to consider an apology. Gonsalves welcomed the move but said Britain had come "kicking and screaming" to the table, adding: "But at least they're coming."

Caribbean leaders greeted the announcement while making clear how much remains unsettled. Guyana's president, Irfaan Ali, called for a Commonwealth subcommittee to work out the details over the next six to 12 months. He urged talks to move beyond putting a price on the indignity of slavery and towards a development pathway, with the UK government and its financial institutions working with countries to identify gaps in health, education, social services and infrastructure. Barbados's prime minister, Mia Mottley, thanked Burnham for "breaking new ground" but said that on reparations in particular, "our views differ, and we will say so plainly and respectfully." She named an apology, investment in health and education, tackling systemic poverty and inequality, and fairer debt terms as areas where agreement could be reached. The Bahamas prime minister, Philip Davis, said the talks concern the enduring consequences of slavery and the importance of justice, acknowledgment and meaningful redress. Prof Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caricom Reparations Commission, has called the meeting "the Chogm of reparations".

The summit opens on the 45th anniversary of Antigua and Barbuda's independence from British colonial rule. King Charles is indicating he will not follow Burnham in offering a full apology. He and Burnham are expected to be met by protests as they travel through St John's, and there will be billboards, placards, T-shirts, letters and a candlelight vigil for the thousands of Africans trafficked to the islands. On Sunday, Kemi Badenoch told broadcasters an apology would be a "navel-gazing distraction", describing slavery as an evil in which people from every continent and region participated. Gonsalves said he would like to sit down with her and explain, including how reparatory justice might help heal fractures in Britain's multicultural and ethnic tensions.

What to watch is the leaders' retreat, where the shape of the dialogue and any subcommittee may first become clear.