Ministers reject calls for slavery reparations as Starmer heads for crunch talks with Commonwealth leaders
by Kit Heren · LBCExclusive
Watch Again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy | 24/10/24
By Kit Heren
Ministers have insisted that the UK has no plans to pay reparations, as Keir Starmer heads to talks with the heads of Commonwealth nations amid mounting demands for payouts in compensation for slavery.
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Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast that the Prime Minister had been "absolutely clear" that the government is "not planning to play reparations".
The three candidates vying to be named the next secretary-general of the 56-nation Commonwealth have signalled support for the payouts.
Estimates for the amount that Britain could theoretically 'owe' countries affected by slavery ranges from £205 billion to around £19 trillion, several times more than the UK's GDP.
Starmer also earlier ruled out discussion of reparations at the Commonwealth summit in Samoa on Thursday, insisting he wanted to look forwards, not backwards.
But the topic of reparations is likely to be on the agenda, no matter what the British government think, with Commonwealth nation leaders agreeing a deal to conduct further research and begin a “meaningful conversation” about the payments.
Read more: Keir Starmer rules out slavery reparations ahead of Commonwealth summit
Nick Ferrari callers debate whether the government should pay slavery reparations
Ms Nandy told Nick the government was "respectful" of other Commonwealth nations' views, and said the UK would "take part in discussions, not just on our terms, but on the terms by put forward by other countries as well."
She said that the UK wanted to help Commonwealth nations deal with climate change and debt, two major problems many of them face.
Ms Nandy added: "We want to look to the future, and we know that the big challenges that most of those countries face is they're the most climate-affected in the world, they have historic levels of debt, often on very poor terms, and they've got increasing problems with poverty.
"Britain is uniquely placed to help those countries break out of that cycle. With home to the City of London and the biggest insurance market in the world, and the legal jurisdiction where a lot of those debts are settled.
"We've got real ambitions to help them break those problems and help the world deal with the challenge of climate change, and that's what we're focused on."
Britain's involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade spanned around four centuries, and it was the world's biggest slave trader by the 1730s.
After banning the trade in the early 19th century, the government devoted considerable resources to trying to stamp it out across the world.
MP says slavery reparations are about ‘more than money’
Despite the strong message put out by Cabinet ministers that reparations are not on the agenda, some within their own party have called for payments to be discussed.
Five Labour MPs have called on Keir Starmer recently to address the issue of reparations at the Commonwealth summit. David Lammy, Starmer's Foreign Secretary, also called for reparations in 2018.
Speaking earlier, the Prime Minister echoed Nandy's comments about "looking forward".
"I've talked to a lot of our Commonwealth colleagues in the Commonwealth family and they're facing real challenges on things like climate in the here and now," he told reporters.
The PM said other nations in the association were more interested in raising money to tackle the impact of climate change.
"That's where I'm going to put my focus rather than what will end up being very, very long endless discussions about reparations on the past," he added.
Iain Dale calls on governments to focus on eradicating modern slavery over reparations
The Prime Minister said there was "no question" that slavery was "abhorrent", adding: "But I think from my point of view and taking the approach I've just taken, I'd rather roll up my sleeves and work with them on the current future-facing challenges than spend a lot of time on the past. That's my focus."
The political leaders of India and South Africa - Narendra Modi and Cyril Ramaphosa - have both snubbed Chogm to join the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, alongside Vladimir Putin.
Starmer said it was "a matter for them as to where they attend" when asked his opinion of their decision to prioritise the BRICS gathering.