Antigua's prime minister demands Britain pay slavery reparations and warns of repeat 'atrocities' as Burnham heads for the summit
Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, confronted King Charles and Queen Camilla at a Sunday church service, before warning that without financial reparations "there is likely to be a repeat of those atrocities.The King and Queen at a church service in Antigua and Barbuda, where Andy Burnham's surprise declaration that he was "open" to a formal slavery apology put the King under constitutional pressure ahead of the Commonwealth summit.King Charles and Queen Camilla meet West Indies cricketing legends at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, as prime minister Gaston Browne declared himself a republican who personally wants Charles removed as the country's head of state.King Charles III with Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, who branded Kemi Badenoch "misguided" for arguing a formal apology would open the door to cash demands.Prime Minister Andy Burnham with his wife, Marie-France van Heel, at a Diwali celebration at 10 Downing Street, as Kemi Badenoch warned his slavery-apology pivot would see Caribbean nations pocket any apology and immediately demand billions more.Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the Conservative Party, whom Gaston Browne branded "misguided" for arguing a formal apology would lever open the door to cash demands, said Britain's answer on reparations was "no.
Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Browne confronted King Charles directly at a Sunday church service before demanding Britain pay full reparations, warning that without compensation "atrocities" will repeat. Caribbean bloc Caricom has responded to Burnham's Guardian article with a formal Ten-Point Plan costing between £5trillion and £18trillion, including debt cancellation, health subsidies and "psychological rehabilitation". Kemi Badenoch urged Burnham to walk away, calling the apology offer "a lever to wedge open the door to ask for cash".
Browne also declared he wants King Charles removed as Antigua's head of state and the country made a republic.
Burnham explicitly ruled out financial compensation, writing that 'British people today cannot be held liable for historical wrongs', but Caricom's chair said reparations cannot be 'outside the room'.
A new IEA report argues the £18.8trillion reparations estimate rests on assumptions that could shift the figure by trillions, and urges leaders to focus instead on 50 million people living in modern slavery today.
