Burnham is to hand Caribbean nations £40m of taxpayers' money as he prepares to open slavery apology talks
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.On board HMS Wellington, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Britain should "stop apologising" for its role in the slave trade, as Burnham warned a formal UK apology is now expected next year when Britain holds the G20 presidency.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has branded taxpayer-funded reparations a 'moral evil', as Burnham opens formal slavery apology talks at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua. The £40m allocation covers Caribbean green energy and infrastructure, drawn from existing budgets and spread across three years, with a formal UK apology now expected next year when Britain holds the G20 presidency. Burnham insists he has not pressured the King, who will speak with 'sincere sorrow' but will not himself apologise.
Barbados PM Mia Mottley, who puts her country's reparations entitlement at £3.2 trillion, met Burnham directly to discuss the 'structured dialogue'.
St Lucia's Philip J Pierre welcomed the talks but warned: 'A dialogue that begins by placing reparations outside the room cannot be a complete dialogue.'
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has cautioned against any apology, warning it could open the door to future compensation claims.
