Burnham is to unveil a 'debt reset' for Commonwealth nations after handing the Caribbean £40m in new aid
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.
Burnham is expected to outline the 'debt reset' plan at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua on Tuesday, where all 56 member nations have gathered and reparations demands have overshadowed the run-up to the summit. The £40m, cleared ahead of the meeting, is allocated over three years for green energy and critical infrastructure across Caribbean nations, though Downing Street maintains it does not constitute direct compensation for slavery.
Burnham ruled out paying reparations but said an official apology for the slave trade is likely next year, when Britain holds the G20 presidency.
Antigua and Barbuda's PM Gaston Browne said the consequences of slavery 'have not disappeared with the passage of time', heaping pressure on Burnham.
Diplomatic sources warn that such an apology could open the door to compensation claims worth trillions of pounds from campaigners.
