Ed Miliband insists slavery apology will not cost taxpayers 'a penny more' while Burnham has refused the same guarantee
King Charles III, whose remarks drew no commitment to reparations, with Buckingham Palace insisting he would not be responsible for delivering any 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.The Queen enjoying a steel pan band performance, as Ed Miliband insisted a £40 million green energy package for Caribbean Commonwealth nations was entirely unrelated to any slavery apology process.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 ruled out any additional cost to British taxpayers from Andy Burnham's "new approach" to the Commonwealth, telling the BBC: "No. Not… no." But Burnham himself repeatedly refused to give the same guarantee when pressed by broadcasters on Monday, leaving ministers sending contradictory signals on the biggest political question hanging over the Antigua summit.
Burnham is reportedly preparing a £40 million package for Caribbean green energy schemes despite the 'not a penny more' pledge.
Miliband attacked Tony Blair's 2006 'deep sorrow and regret' statement as a 'sorry, not sorry' that No 10 subsequently 'walked back'.
Miliband said a formal apology is likely by the G20 summit in Manchester next November, calling reparations 'not practical, not feasible'.
