Andy Burnham vows to put Britain back at heart of Commonwealth as PM seeks closer Caribbean ties

Andy Burnham has pledged Britain will play its "full part" in shaping a new era for the Commonwealth after travelling to the Caribbean for key talks.

The Prime Minister joined King Charles in Antigua and Barbuda on Monday ahead of a two-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Mr Burnham and King Charles will meet representatives from 56 Commonwealth countries.

He is set to spearhead two new economic task forces focused on critical minerals and trade barriers, which will bring businesses and Commonwealth governments together to "harness opportunity".

The Prime Minister is also expected to set out plans for a "debt reset" to support Commonwealth countries with higher debt costs.

Mr Burnham will say at the summit that work to stop countries being trapped in debt spirals "must include non-G7 donors", as well as the private sector.

This comes after the Prime Minister set out his plans to enter a structured dialogue with Commonwealth nations, recognising Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Last week, the Labour leader shared his personal "sorrow and regret" for the suffering caused by the historic trade.

Downing Street has said that a formal apology for slavery "should be discussed with Commonwealth leaders".

Ahead of the meeting in Antigua, No10 said: "The Prime Minister wants to strengthen the Commonwealth as a family of nations with shared values and support economic cooperation.

"The Prime Minister, like his predecessors, expressed his sorrow about slavery - that is separate from a formal apology.

"We think it’s right that a formal apology is discussed with the countries and people most affected."

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The spokesman clarified that the Prime Minister said that an apology would lead to a "present-day financial liability".

They made clear that Britain "won't be making any additional aid allocations and we won't be setting up a reparation fund".

The remarks sparked widespread criticism across the political spectrum, with the Tories and Labour making their concerns on the matter clear.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch warned that an apology would provide "yet another opportunity for people to start asking Britain for money because of the slave trade".

Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Head of the all-party Parliamentary group on Afrikan Reparations, called on her boss to apologise as part of the "concrete steps" to address accountability.

She said: "Nobody is asking the average British person to take responsibility for African chattel enslavement.

"This is about the British state, which protected and profited from it.

"Reparations is not something you simply write a cheque for, it's an ongoing process of repair that must begin with an apology."