Prime Minister Andy Burnham is to open slavery apology talks with Commonwealth leaders in Antigua while ruling out reparations
Andy Burnham fell while playing cricket at the Commonwealth summit in Antigua, where he has ruled out reparations but launched structured talks on a formal slavery apology.King Charles III at Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua and Barbuda, where he learned about efforts to protect the islands' natural and built heritage, as Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined efforts to build towards a formal slavery apology.Women at the Commonwealth Women's Forum, where survivors of abuse and political leaders from across the Commonwealth also gathered.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, is expected to announce £40 million over three years for Caribbean infrastructure including green energy projects, while launching structured talks on a formal slavery apology that he says could happen as early as next year. Burnham has firmly ruled out direct financial reparations, insisting Britain is "reaching out and listening" with a "new approach" to the Commonwealth. King Charles is set to open the summit by addressing the slave trade with "unflinching honesty" and "sincere sorrow", though Buckingham Palace has stressed his role is about "inspiring and convening, rather than policy making".
Kemi Badenoch has warned against issuing any apology at all, while Caribbean Community chair Philip J Pierre said a dialogue that rules out reparations "cannot be a complete dialogue".
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, alongside former PM Gordon Brown, is joining Burnham's effort to build towards a formal apology, which No 10 is targeting for the UK's G20 presidency next year.
Burnham also became the summit's unlikely comedy moment, losing his footing while running between wickets during a cricket session with legend Sir Viv Richards, joking his running "needs a bit of work".
