• Analysis
Slavery reparations UK: dialogue framework due by year's end, Caribbean leaders say
Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the UK has agreed to a 'structured dialogue' with Caribbean nations on the slave trade's legacy, with the framework to be set in principle by the end of this year or early next year. Browne said reparations must be part of that dialogue despite the UK ruling them out.
A consensus at Chogm
Commonwealth leaders say the UK has agreed to a 'structured dialogue' in the next year with Caribbean nations affected by the slave trade and its legacy. The agreement emerged from the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, where Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, described a 'consensus' among governments on a way forward on slavery reparations.
Browne said Caribbean nations are hoping the dialogue takes place sometime within the next 12 months.
Timeline for the framework
The prime minister set out how quickly the process could take shape. By the end of this year, or early next year, he said, the whole framework for the dialogue would be established in principle.
He also sought to reassure the British side about how the talks would be conducted, saying the region would not be making 'unreasonable demands on the United Kingdom'.
Browne on Burnham
Browne praised UK prime minister Andy Burnham for being 'very assertive in addressing [the] issue', crediting him with driving the process forward.
In Browne's words, the British prime minister's approach had earned trust across the Caribbean:
"he has shown a significant amount of courage and goodwill, and I can tell you that he has developed a lot of goodwill"
What the UK has offered
Burnham had announced on Friday that he wanted to begin a structured dialogue and was open to Britain apologising, but he ruled out reparations. Browne, for his part, said reparations are important and must be part of the structured dialogue, and that the region remains very optimistic about reaching consensus.
Alongside the offer of talks, the UK prime minister put forward practical measures:
- •proposed discussions on debt resets for smaller Commonwealth nations
- •£40m ($54m) for critical infrastructure in the Caribbean over the next three years
Caribbean position and UK response
The gap between the two sides remains wide. The Caribbean Community's reparations commission 10-point plan specifically asks for 'debt cancellation' - not debt restructuring - and 'monetary compensation'. The plan argues that the former colonies' existing debts are intergenerational and are ultimately and intimately tied to centuries of colonial extraction.
A Foreign Office spokesperson pointed to the prime minister's aim of building stronger relationships to renew the Commonwealth's relevance in a new era, and said the UK is committed to cooperating with Commonwealth partners on global debt issues, the climate crisis and economic development.
The framework for the structured dialogue is expected to be established in principle by the end of this year or early next year, with Caribbean nations hoping the talks take place within the next 12 months.
