Government denies talks with Caribbean nations over slave trade reparations
The government has denied it is set to hold talks with Caribbean representatives over reparations for the slave trade as one Labour MP called for the UK to take steps towards acknowledging the damage caused by its colonialist past.
The Foreign Office (FCDO) angrily denied reports on Saturday that it was to hold talks with a Caribbean delegation on reparations.
Clapham and Brixton Hill MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who chairs the APPG on Afrikan Reparations, said she had been 'surprised' by the initial reports in The Telegraph, but added it was 'a shame' they are not going ahead.
She told The Independent: 'Talks with CARICOM nations would be a significant step towards acknowledging the enduring harm caused by enslavement and colonialism. Critics often miscontrue the campaign for reparations as being solely about financial compensation, or historic events that have no relevance today.
'But for these countries our historic crimes play a central part in their present struggles. So reparations at its core is about equality and justice. There are many ways we can go about righting our wrongs, and that starts with a conversation.'
It had been reported that foreign secretary David Lammy had give Foreign Office officials the green light the FCDO to hold talks with embers of the Reparations Commission of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), a political grouping of 15 states, to discuss the UK paying for its past acts as a colonial power.
But in a statement on X, the FCDO claimed the reports were false.
'The Telegraph front page today is wrong and mendacious. There will be no such delegation of Caribbean leaders or officials in spring. We do not pay reparations.'
It had been speculated that the decision to hold the meeting follows last year gathering of Commonwealth heads of government in Samoa where Caribbean nations pressed the prime minister Keir Starmer into discussing the ongoing impact of historic slavery and reparations.
At the time, Sir Keir agreed to continue talking about the issue but had suggested he was against paying reparations.
Sources have suggested that the delegation would be led by Mia Mottley, Barbados's prime minister.
Ms Ribeiro-Addy's comments followed Tory shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel leading attacks against Mr Lammy on the issue linking it with controversial plans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
She said: 'When Labour negotiate, Britain loses. Having agreed to surrender billions of pounds of taxpayers money to Mauritius to giveaway the Chagos Islands, the rest of the world has seen how easy it is to force this weak and pathetic Labour Government to bend to their demands.
"Now we see that Keir Starmer and David Lammy have once again been caught out failing to defend the national interest. Instead of focusing on strengthening future trade and partnership ties with the Commonwealth, they are letting their Labour friends and activists set the agenda.
'Whether it's the surrender of Chagos, kowtowing to China, cosying up to the EU or considering reparations, Labour cannot be trusted to defend our interests and protect hard-pressed British taxpayers."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Nixing visas is a wise US response to Bob Vylan's naked Jew-hate
Kudos to the State Department for revoking the visas for British punk-rappers Bob Vylan: Our country doesn't need to let naked antisemites in for a tour. The pair led the Glastonbury Musical Festival crowd in chants of raw hate, including 'From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free,' and 'Death, death to the IDF.' The first is a demand to expel or kill all the Jews of Israel; the latter, transparently, is an outright call for the slaughter of the Jewish state's defenders. With tens of thousands joining in from the audience, it was a truly Hitler-worthy spectacle. But also ample reason for the feds to nix the duo's visas for a coming tour: No foreigner has a right to visit this nation and make big money for promoting hate and terrorism. Bob Vylan also faces backlash back home: Prime Minster Keir Starmer and a host of other pols have denounced them; the BBC is squirming over having broadcast the performance and the United Talent Agency says it will stop repping the band. They also face a police investigation, but the UK's efforts to police speech are a mess full of double- and triple-standards. To be clear: US citizens have the right to blare hate speech as vile as Bob Vylan's, but the First Amendment doesn't mean we need to let Nazis come visit. Cheers to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Justice Department's Leo Terrell for their attention to this matter.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
U.K. Culture Sec. condemns Bob Vylan Glastonbury performance, demands answers from BBC
The British culture minister condemned punk-rap duo Bob Vylan during a June 30 statement to Parliament that noted that statements made during a June 28 performance at the Glastonbury festival were under criminal investigation. "Let me be clear that this government will not tolerate anti-Semitism," Lisa Nandy, U.K. Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport, told the House of Commons from the Labour's dispatch box. "It has no place in our society. It is a poison and a cancer that must be rooted out, and we will be relentless in our work to do so." Avon and Somerset Police said in a June 30 statement that "further enquiries are required and a criminal investigation is now being undertaken" regarding the performances of Bob Vylan and Irish rap trio Kneecap. Bob Vylan led chants of "Death, death, to the IDF" referring to the Israel Defense Forces, the formal name of the Israeli military. Kneecap frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh led chants against Labour Prime Minister Kier Starmer and accused Israel of committing war crimes, saying: "There's no hiding it." The U.S. State Department revoked the visas of Bob Vylan members on June 30, citing the performance. Culture secretary demands answers from BBC, health secretary tells Israel to get "house in order" Nandy told the Commons that she would seek answers from the BBC, which streamed the festival, on why the feed from the West Holts stage was not cut. "Given the concerns regarding other acts in the weeks preceding the festival, why the feed wasn't immediately cut when the chants of death to the IDF began and what due diligence was done prior to the decision to broadcast this particular act to the nation," Nandy said. The BBC said in a statement condemning the performance that it regretted not pulling the stream. "The judgment on Saturday to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with our editorial guidelines," the broadcaster said. "The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance." Glastonbury organizers condemned Bob Vylan's performance in a June 29 Instagram post. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it was appalling that the comments had been made on stage, adding that he was also appalled by the violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. "I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News. "I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens toward Palestinians more seriously." Contributing: Reuters
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Welfare rebellion looms for Starmer despite concessions to Labour rebels
Sir Keir Starmer continues to face the prospect of a major rebellion over his welfare cuts despite making concessions to disgruntled Labour MPs. Ministers hope a partial U-turn will be enough to win over Labour rebels when MPs vote on welfare changes on Tuesday. The concessions included protecting people claiming personal independence payment (Pip) from changes due to come into effect in November 2026, and rowing back plans to cut the health-related element of universal credit. But backbench anger has continued to simmer, with a statement from Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall laying out the concessions on Monday receiving a negative response. Asked whether he was 'confident' that the concessions had done enough to secure passage of the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill, disabilities minister Sir Stephen Timms would only tell Sky News: 'I certainly hope it passes.' Some 126 Labour MPs had previously signed a 'reasoned amendment' proposed by Treasury Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier that would have stopped the legislation if approved. That rebellion appeared to have been averted after Dame Meg described concessions agreed on Friday as a 'workable compromise'. But in the Commons on Monday, she was one of several senior Labour figures to raise concerns about the Government's revised proposals, while another MP involved in negotiations, Debbie Abrahams, suggested ministers had rowed back on what had been agreed. A second amendment rejecting the Bill has been put forward by York Central MP Rachael Maskell with the backing of 138 disability groups, saying disabled people had 'yet to have agency in this process'. Ms Maskell's amendment is reported to have been signed by only around 35 Labour MPs – far fewer than the 83 needed to overturn Sir Keir's majority, but enough to deliver the largest rebellion of his premiership just before the first anniversary of Labour's election victory. Other sceptical MPs are expected to abstain on Tuesday, but could vote against the Bill next week if there are no further concessions. One of the chief concerns revolves around a review of Pip to be carried out by Sir Stephen and 'co-produced' with disabled people. His review is not expected to report until autumn next year, making it difficult to incorporate his findings into the Pip changes due to take place at the same time. Ms Abrahams suggested the timing meant the outcome of the review was 'pre-determined', while Sarah Owen, another select committee chairwoman, warned it could create a 'three-tier' benefit system. Groups including Disability Rights UK and Disabled People Against Cuts criticised the Government's claim that Sir Stephen's review would be 'co-produced' with them and urged Labour rebels to stand firm. They said: 'The Government have made it very clear that they are intent on slashing the support that so many disabled people rely on to work and live independently, no matter how many disabled people tell them what a harmful policy this will be.' Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said her party's MPs would vote against the proposals, describing them as 'not serious welfare reform' and saying ministers had 'watered down the small savings Labour were making'. The original proposals were expected to save £4.8 billion by 2030, but Ms Kendall revealed on Monday that the revised proposals were likely to save less than half that figure.
