UK Accused of 'Vehemently' Opposing Slavery Reparations on Commonwealth Agenda

British officials reportedly insisted that discussion of slavery reparations should not be on the agenda of the Commonwealth leaders' summit in Antigua and Barbuda, and even warned that Prime Minister Andy Burnham would not attend if the issue were formally tabled, according to a leading Caribbean political figure.

Ralph Gonsalves, the former prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines and a senior figure in the reparations movement Repair Campaign, welcomed Britain's decision to take part in a structured dialogue on reparations but said the UK had come to the conversation "reluctantly and objecting".

At present, the issue of slavery reparations is not on the official agenda of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm), which begins on Sunday. The stated priorities of the 56-nation bloc, which spans Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Americas, the Pacific and Europe, include trade, climate and financial resilience, sustainable debt, democracy and investment in opportunities for young people.

"My understanding from reliable sources is that Britain vehemently opposed putting this issue on the agenda. British officials — and on this point they were joined by Canadian officials — even raised the possibility that if the issue were on the agenda, the British prime minister would not attend," Gonsalves told the Guardian.

"They also started spreading misinformation that India did not want the issue on the agenda, but that is completely untrue. India was very supportive of the UN General Assembly resolution on 25 March 2026. So they are spreading misinformation about India."

Gonsalves said the relentless campaign by Caribbean nations, amplified by a growing regional and global reparations movement, had pushed reparative justice to the centre of the political conversation at the meeting.

"Because of what happened at the United Nations, what happened in Africa, what happened in the Caribbean, and all the work going on in Britain itself, inside the British parliament, inside the British Labour party, in both the Commons and the Lords, this is an issue you can no longer avoid," he said.

He added: "The danger of not putting it on the official agenda is what we are seeing now, that everyone who might have anticipated it, whether or not it is on the official agenda, even the way it is discussed at the Commonwealth, and certainly in the closed-door meetings, it will be raised."

Gonsalves said that while the actual structured dialogue was unlikely to take place at Chogm, it was expected that when leaders met behind closed doors, the format and details of the dialogue would be discussed.

"The British government is coming to the structured dialogue table reluctantly and objecting. But at least they are coming," he said.

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: "We firmly reject this wholly untrue allegation. Britain has approached this conversation in good faith, and we have never told any Chogm member what should not be on the agenda.

"Our position on reparations is clear, but this government respects the right of others to raise issues as they wish."

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caricom Reparations Commission, described the meeting as "the reparations Chogm" and added that reparative justice was the "number one item" for the Caribbean as Commonwealth leaders gathered in the region.

On Friday there was a historic shift in Britain's stance when the British prime minister went further than any of his predecessors by agreeing to a structured dialogue and to considering an apology.

Although Caribbean governments and campaigners welcomed Burnham's statement, made in an article in the Guardian, it was clear that agreeing the forms of reparations remained the region's priority.

Guyana's president, Irfaan Ali, welcomed Burnham's statement and called for a Commonwealth subcommittee to work out the details of the dialogue within the next 6 to 12 months.

"I am pleased that the discussion has finally moved to where it should be, with the British government at the table, because that is the country we are dealing with," he said.

Ali said negotiations should move beyond trying to put a price on the injustice of slavery and towards addressing its developmental consequences.

"How do we define a support system where the British government, together with its financial institutions, can sit with countries ... and build a development roadmap, identifying developmental gaps, whether in health, education, social services or infrastructure?"

Barbados's prime minister, Mia Mottley, thanked Burnham for "breaking new ground", while making clear that the two sides remained divided. "Especially on reparations, our views differ, and we will speak clearly and respectfully," she said.

Mottley identified an apology, investment in health and education, tackling poverty and systemic inequality, and fairer debt terms as areas where agreement could be reached.

The Bahamas's prime minister, Philip Davis, said the talks were not just about "historical remembrance" but also about "the enduring consequences of slavery and the importance of justice, recognition and meaningful redress".

As the meeting opened on Sunday, the 45th anniversary of Antigua and Barbuda's independence from British colonial rule, King Charles was indicating that he would not follow Burnham and issue a full apology, and there remained a sense that the reparations battle was far from over.

King Charles and Burnham will be greeted by protests as they pass through Antigua's capital, St John's, for Chogm events.

On billboards, signs and T-shirts, in letters and at a candlelit prayer service for the thousands of Africans trafficked to Antigua and Barbuda during the transatlantic slave trade, the message from the Caribbean will be clear: there will be calls for an apology and for reparations.

On Sunday, Kemi Badenoch told broadcasters that an apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade was a "self-indulgent distraction", describing slavery as an evil "that people from every continent and region took part in".

"I really want to sit down with my dear sister Kemi and explain so that she can understand what we are talking about," Gonsalves said, adding that he wanted to discuss how reparative justice could help heal some of the fractures arising from Britain's multicultural and ethnic tensions.