British officials were adamant that discussions of reparations for historic slavery should not appear on the formal agenda for the Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Antigua and Barbuda, a leading Caribbean politician has said.
Ralph Gonsalves, the former prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines and a prominent member of the reparatory justice campaign Repair, told reporters that the UK had been strongly opposed to placing the issue before Commonwealth leaders and had even warned that Labour mayor Andy Burnham would not attend the meeting if reparations were formally included.
Gonsalves welcomed Britain’s later decision to enter what he described as a structured dialogue on reparatory justice, but said the move came only after prolonged resistance from London. He characterised the UK’s shift as reluctant, saying it had come "kicking and screaming" to the conversation.
Despite the commitment to talks, Gonsalves noted that the subject remains excluded from the official CHOGM agenda, meaning any discussions will take place outside the summit’s formal sessions. The comments underline continuing tensions between Caribbean campaigners pressing for reparatory measures and British officials wary of elevating the issue at the leaders’ meeting.
The Repair Campaign and other Caribbean advocates have been calling for formal recognition and action on the legacy of slavery for several years, seeking reparatory measures through Commonwealth mechanisms and bilateral engagement. The limited concession from London to a structured dialogue represents a diplomatic opening, even as activists say it falls short of the public acknowledgement they seek.
How the structured dialogue will be organised, who will participate, and what outcomes might be expected were not detailed by Gonsalves. The development is likely to shape debates around colonial legacies and historical justice at the summit and in subsequent Commonwealth discussions.