CARICOM presses Britain on reparations as Burnham signals readiness for talks
Chair Phillip Pierre says an apology without repair is incomplete, while Sir Hilary Beckles welcomes what he calls a shift in London's tone.
ST JOHN'S, Antigua and Barbuda. Britain, which has long refused to apologise or pay reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, appears to have signalled that it is ready to discuss the issue in the coming months.
With King Charles and Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Antigua for this week's Commonwealth leaders' summit, the British delegation has faced strong pressure from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) governments and rights activists over Britain's role in slavery. The two men have made differing comments on how London should approach the issue.
At the weekend, Burnham wrote in the Guardian that "for years, those members of the Commonwealth affected by the slave trade have asked for an honest conversation about the legacies of slavery."
"By sticking our heads in the sand, we have damaged the ability of the Commonwealth to function," he wrote.
King Charles has repeatedly said Britain would not shy away from the topic but is not prepared to formally apologise. The 15-member bloc has seized on what it sees as a small opening, arguing that an apology and reparations must go hand in hand.
'An apology without repair is incomplete'
Shortly after the article was published, CARICOM issued a formal statement. Its chair, St Lucia's Prime Minister Phillip Pierre, called Burnham's piece the clearest signal yet from London.
"The British state did not simply tolerate slavery. It legislated for it, protected it, and profited from it. An apology without repair is incomplete."
"The Caribbean Community does not accept that reparations are 'not the right answer'," Pierre said. "We are ready to engage. A dialogue that begins by placing reparations outside the room cannot be a complete dialogue."
He noted that colonial-era British authorities compensated slave and plantation owners in the Caribbean, while those who had suffered were given nothing.
Beckles welcomes shift
Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, welcomed Britain's apparent willingness to consider formal talks, as the commission and regional governments have demanded.
"The British government is now prepared to have a structured conversation with the Caribbean in respect of reparations," Beckles said. He said British enslavers in the Caribbean, "beginning in Barbados", created the concept of human beings as chattel property.
"Reparations are all around this conference," he said. "It's on the streets, in the corridors, in the newspapers, on the radio, and on television."
