Slavery reparations debate sparks Labour Party storm

Sir Keir Starmer has sparked a row at the heart of the Labour Party after senior figures urged him to rethink his decision to rule out reparations for Britain’s role in the slave trade.

- KATE DEVLIN & MILLIE COOKE

The prime minister flew into a diplomatic storm with Caribbean leaders over the issue at a summit in Samoa – and drew condemnation from his own MPs back in Britain.

Commonwealth leaders are preparing to defy the UK and agree to examine plans for “reparative justice”, which could leave the UK owing billions of pounds in reparations.

Sir Keir had urged the group to look to the future at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm), which begins on today.

But Labour grandee Harriet Harman warned that strategy would fail. “[Starmer] needs to be in this conversation rather than be ruling it out,” she said.

As a series of Labour MPs called on the government to discuss reparations, chancellor Rachel Reeves was asked on a trip to Washington if Britain could afford to pay them. She replied: “No”.

Sir Keir is expected to be pressed on the issue personally while in Samoa, after the prime minister of the Bahamas Philip Davis said he wanted a “frank talk” with the PM on the issue, while Fred Mitchell, his country’s foreign affairs minister, said it was “only a matter of time” before the Labour leader changed his position.

Whitehall sources admit a “reference” to the issue could be forced into the official summit communique at the end of the meeting.