Burnham pledges £40m in aid for Caribbean amid calls for reparations over UK’s role in the slave trade

Andy Burnham has approved £40m in aid funding for the Caribbean amid calls for him to pay reparations for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.

The funding will be given over three years to speed up critical infrastructure investment, including green energy schemes in the Caribbean, Downing Street said.

Mr Burnham is also expected to begin discussions with leaders about the prospect of offering a formal apology for the UK’s role in selling enslaved people for profit.

Speaking at the leaders’ summit in Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday, the prime minister will set out plans for a “debt reset” aimed at helping the poorest Commonwealth countries grapple with repayments, as he promises Britain will play a leading role in a “new era” for the group of nations.

He will argue that work to support member states amid rising global interest rate costs must include non-G7 donors and the private sector.

Although he signalled that he was “open” to a formal apology, Mr Burnham ruled out offering direct financial reparations, ahead of his attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where talks about the issue of slavery are likely to dominate.

Antigua and Barbuda prime minister, Gaston Browne, joined mounting calls for an apology from the UK, saying the consequences of slavery “have not disappeared with the passage of time”.

After a previous summit in 2024 saw Downing Street insist financial compensation was not on the agenda, before all 56 nations signed a communique backing talks over reparatory justice, Mr Burnham said the UK was pursuing a “new approach”.

As part of this, No 10 said Britain would lead two new task forces – one focused on critical mineral assets and vulnerabilities in supply chains across the group and the other aimed at boosting trade and investment more widely.

Both will be set up by the end of the year and report back at the next leaders’ summit, officials said.

Downing Street said Mr Burnham would use the summit to “outline his vision for supporting countries grappling with higher debt costs”.

Britain will play its “full part” in shaping the Commonwealth as a “powerful force for good” in a more divided and unpredictable world, he said, as he arrived in Antigua and Barbuda on Monday.

The prime minister said: “In today’s more divided, unpredictable world, the Commonwealth has the potential to be a powerful force for good, bringing together a third of the global population, and I believe it is key that the UK plays its full role in that.

“Britain is bringing a new approach to this meeting, as we look to reshape a new era for the Commonwealth, as well as being open to discussions about the past.

“From trade to defence and security, together Commonwealth members can drive greater growth and opportunity for all of its citizens.”

King Charles arrived in the Caribbean nation on Friday ahead of his Tuesday summit opening address, which will receive heightened interest after the prime minister’s intervention.

Buckingham Palace has insisted that the King’s role is about “inspiring and convening, rather than policy-making” in the wake of the renewed calls for an apology.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch urged Mr Burnham against issuing a slavery apology, saying it would give countries a reason to ask Britain for reparations.

She said: “I don’t think we should be giving any money to compensate people for the slave trade, and I don’t think that Andy Burnham needs to be apologising because it is a lever to wedge open the door to ask for cash.”