UK agrees to time-limited talks on slavery’s historical harms

The UK has agreed to take part in structured, time-bound talks with Commonwealth countries on the historical harms of the transatlantic slave trade, but the timetable has yet to be set and the government has ruled out reparations.

The commitment was included in the final communiqué of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. It says leaders welcome the UK’s agreement to engage in “structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith dialogue” with affected parties.

British officials said the timeframe would be settled later. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has suggested the talks could conclude in about a year. Asked whether a formal apology might be reached by the time the UK hosts the G20 summit in Manchester next November, he told the BBC: “Broadly speaking, yes.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has opened the door to a formal apology on behalf of the UK, while rejecting financial reparations. He said his new approach to the Commonwealth had been well received at the summit.

King Charles, speaking as head of the Commonwealth, told leaders that the transatlantic trade in enslaved people “still casts a shadow over these islands and other Members of our Commonwealth”. He described the history as a “shameful chapter” that filled him with “the most profound personal sorrow”.

The agreement follows renewed calls from Caribbean leaders for Britain to address slavery and its legacy. Burnham has said he is open to listening to calls for an apology while rejecting reparations, a position he set out ahead of the summit. Earlier coverage of the debate over an apology and reparations