Starmer has ‘misunderstood’ Commonwealth leaders’ call for slave trade reparations, Harriet Harman says

Sir Keir Starmer has “misunderstood” why Commonwealth leaders are asking for slave trade reparations and he needs to have some cultural respect, a Labour grandee has told Sky News. Baroness Harriet Harman told Beth Rigby on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast the prime minister has missed the mark with his refusal to talk about reparations at this week’s Commonwealth summit. Ahead of the meeting in Samoa, Sir Keir called the transatlantic slave trade “abhorrent” but ruled out reparations as he said countries affected would rather the UK helps them with current issues, such as the impact of climate change. But Commonwealth leaders, many from the Caribbean, Africa and the Pacific, have defied him and are drawing up an agreement to conduct further research into the issue and to begin a “meaningful conversation”.