Miliband insists taxpayers will not pay a 'penny more' for slavery apology while Burnham refuses to give 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.
Ed Miliband broke with Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Wednesday by pledging categorically that taxpayers would not pay "a penny more" as a result of the government's new Commonwealth approach — a guarantee Burnham himself repeatedly refused to give when pressed by broadcasters. Miliband confirmed a formal slavery apology is likely before the G20 summit in Manchester next November, saying "broadly speaking, yes" when asked. The Foreign Secretary also attacked Tony Blair's 2006 "deep sorrow and regret" statement as a "sorry, not sorry" that was subsequently "walked back by Number 10."
Burnham has committed £40m to Caribbean projects and refused three times at CHOGM in Antigua to rule out further taxpayer spending on Commonwealth nations.
Miliband told partners in advance: 'We are open to an apology, but we're not going to shift our position on reparations — it's not practical, it's not feasible.'
Reform's Rupert Lowe has tabled a parliamentary motion to reject any slavery apology or reparations outright, as critics note the Royal Navy led the global campaign to abolish the slave trade.
