Britain was 'vehement' reparations should stay off Commonwealth summit agenda, Gonsalves says

Britain has agreed to enter structured dialogue on reparations for slavery ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Antigua and Barbuda. But Caribbean political figure Ralph Gonsalves said British officials initially insisted that discussions of reparations should not be on the summit agenda.

Ralph Gonsalves, a former prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines and a senior figure in the reparatory justice movement Repair Campaign, said British officials even warned that Prime Minister Andy Burnham would not attend the meeting if the subject was formally included.

Gonsalves welcomed Britain's decision to enter structured dialogue on reparations, but said the UK had come 'kicking and screaming' to the conversation. At least they are coming, he said.

Currently, slavery reparations is not on the official agenda of the Chogm summit, which begins on Sunday. Trade, climate resilience and finance, sustainable debt, democracy and investment in opportunities for young people are among the stated priorities for the 56-nation bloc spanning Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Americas, the Pacific and Europe.

Gonsalves said British officials, joined by Canadian officials, were raising the prospect that the British prime minister would not go if the matter was on the agenda. He also said they circulated an untruth that India did not want it on the agenda, whereas India was very supportive at the UN General Assembly resolution on March 25, 2026.

Gonsalves said the relentless campaign by Caribbean nations, amplified by a growing regional and global reparations movement, has propelled reparatory justice to the heart of the political conversation at the meeting. Work is also taking place inside the British parliament, inside the Labour Party, and in both the Commons and the House of Lords. It is an issue which cannot be ducked any more, he said.

Gonsalves said the structured dialogue itself was unlikely to happen at Chogm, but the format and details were expected to be discussed when leaders meet in their private retreat. Even without a formal agenda place, the issue would be raised in discussions and retreats, he said. There was no immediate comment from the British government.

Prof Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Reparations Commission, described the meeting as 'the Chogm of reparations' and said reparatory justice was the number one item for the Caribbean as leaders gather in the region.

On Friday there was a historic shift in Britain's position when the prime minister went further than any of his predecessors by agreeing to structured dialogue and to consider an apology, in an op-ed for the Guardian. Caribbean governments and campaigners welcomed the announcement but made clear that agreeing on forms of reparations remained a priority for the region.

Guyana's president, Irfaan Ali, welcomed the statement and called for a Commonwealth subcommittee to work out the details of the dialogue over the next six to 12 months. He said the talks should move beyond attempting to put a price on the indignity of slavery and towards addressing its developmental consequences, identifying development gaps in health, education, social services and infrastructure where the UK government and its financial institutions could work on a pathway with countries.

Barbados's prime minister, Mia Mottley, thanked Burnham for 'breaking new ground' while making clear that views on reparations differ and will be stated plainly and respectfully. She identified an apology, investment in health and education, tackling systemic poverty and inequality, and fairer debt terms among areas where agreement could be reached. The Bahamas prime minister, Philip Davis, said the talks were not simply about historical remembrance but about the enduring consequences of slavery and the importance of justice, acknowledgment and meaningful redress.

The meeting kicks off on Sunday, the 45th anniversary of Antigua and Barbuda's independence from British colonial rule. King Charles is indicating he will not follow Burnham and offer a full apology. As King Charles and Burnham travel through Antigua's capital, St John's, to attend Chogm events, they will be greeted with protests; on billboards, placards and T-shirts, in letters and at a candlelight vigil for the thousands of Africans trafficked to Antigua and Barbuda during the transatlantic slave trade, the Caribbean message will be calls for an apology and reparations.