Miliband insists a slavery apology will not cost taxpayers a penny as Burnham prepares a £40m Caribbean green energy package
King Charles III, whose remarks drew no commitment to reparations, with Buckingham Palace insisting he would not be responsible for delivering any apology.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 and Queen Camilla host Commonwealth Heads of State and their partners at an official dinner in Antigua and Barbuda, as Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband ruled out reparations entirely, insisting the government's structured dialogue would conclude within a year.Tables set for an official Commonwealth Heads of Government dinner in Antigua; Andy Burnham announced a £40 million green energy package for Caribbean nations at the summit, though Ed Miliband insisted it was unrelated to any apology process.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told the BBC's Newscast podcast that the government's willingness to formally apologise for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade carries no additional cost to British taxpayers, flatly saying "no" when pressed on whether it would cost "a penny more." He criticised previous governments for a "sweep under the carpet" attitude, singling out Tony Blair's 2006 expression of "deep sorrow and regret" as a "sorry, not sorry" that was subsequently "walked back by No 10." Miliband confirmed that a formal apology is likely to come before the G20 summit in Manchester next November, saying "broadly speaking, yes" when asked about that timeline.
The £40m package Burnham is preparing covers green energy schemes for Caribbean nations, not direct reparations, which the government has explicitly ruled out.
Reform's Suella Braverman flatly rejected the entire approach, saying "Britons owe zero" and arguing former colonies "flourished" thanks to the British Empire.
UK aid to Commonwealth nations is reportedly being slashed from £546m in 2024-25 to £131m in 2028-29, undercutting the warm words at the Antigua summit.
