Starmer urged to open reparations talks at Commonwealth summit

Keir Starmer is under pressure from Labour MPs and Caribbean governments to open the door to reparatory justice when he travels to Samoa this week. The UK prime minister is due to visit the small Pacific island state for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm), which starts on Monday. At the summit, leaders will elect the new secretary general for the Commonwealth to replace Patricia Scotland, the former Labour cabinet minister, who has been in post since 2016. All three candidates to succeed her have called for reparations for countries that were affected by slavery and colonialism. The UN judge Patrick Robinson concluded last year that the UK owed more than £18tn in reparations for its historical involvement in slavery in 14 countries. Successive UK governments have resisted calls for reparations. Downing Street sought to shut down the discussion before the Commonwealth summit this week by saying that reparations were “not on the agenda”. The government has also ruled out making a formal apology this week. But five Labour MPs told the Guardian that the UK should be open to discussing reparatory justice for its former colonies. Caricom, a group of 15 Caribbean countries, is expected to push Starmer...