Keir Starmer was accused of “losing the plot” yesterday as the Commonwealth row about a multi-trillion programme of slavery reparations reached boiling point.
The Prime Minister’s trip to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa has been engulfed in a row about Britain’s obligation to hand over billions in cash to make up for the country’s involvement in the slave trade.
While he was initially bullish and insisted reparations will not be on the agenda at this year’s summit, a Whitehall source later suggested that the Prime Minister may agree to a communique that “references” slavery reparations, though this would “not necessarily mean there is a change of policy”.
The news sparked Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick to ask: “Has Keir Starmer lost the plot?”
Last year a report by the University of West Indies, backed by UN judge Patrick Robinson, said Britain should cough up an eye-watering $24 trillion to make up for the historic injustice, taking into account the number enslaved, loss of life and liberty, personal injury, and mental trauma.
Bahamian foreign minister Frederick Mitchell has now said that fellow Caribbean countries “want the conversation to start about it”.
He added: “There appears to be even a reluctance to have the conversation start.
“Many of the institutions in the UK have already conceded the point of apology, the British Government isn’t quite there.
“But at this time, the discussion needs to be had about the history of this and the ill effects of what happened after slavery was abolished, which continue to affect our societies today.”
Yesterday senior Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell accused Keir Starmer of bringing the reparations row on himself after appointing David Lammy to the Foreign Office.
In a furious verbal attack, Mr Rosindell said that Mr Lammy’s previous championing of slavery reparations to former members of the Commonwealth has given the green light to foreign leaders wanting free cash from Britain.
Mr Rosindell argues: “Starmer hand-picked Lammy to represent our country’s interests on the world stage.”
“He must have known that doing so would, given Lammy’s long-standing support for reparations, prompt demands from other nations to cripple our economy.
“Starmer needs to decide, does he represent the UK’s interests on the world stage, or not?”
In 2018, David Lammy accused the Conservative government of ignoring the debts owed to the descendants of slaves across the world.
In one tweet, he said: “In 1833 Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act.”
“£17bn of compensation to slave owners for the loss of their property – my ancestors. The slaves received no reparations.
“Some people simply do not know their history or do not want to know hard truths.”
In another tweet he said: “As Caribbean people enslaved, colonised and invited to Britain as citizens, we remember our history.”
“We don’t just want an apology, we want reparations and compensation.”
Earlier this month the chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) called on Mr Lammy to have a free hand to deliver compensation to countries involved in the slave trade.
Sir Hilary Beckles, who heads up the group of 14 countries, pointed out the foreign secretary’s previous support while in opposition, using it as a launching point for his own demands.
Sir Hilary told Reuters: “It is our intention to persist with this strategy of calling for a summit to work through what a reparatory justice model ought to look like in the case of the Caribbean.”
“He [Mr Lammy] has been a supporter of the discourse while he was in opposition. The question is whether he would be given a free hand in his Government to take the matter to a higher level.”
