The government says there will be no apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade when King Charles and Sir Keir Starmer visit the Commonwealth summit in Samoa next week.
A Downing Street spokesman ruled out the possibility of financial compensation.
Last year, the King spoke of his “greatest sadness and regret” at the “wrongdoings” of the colonial era during a visit to Kenya, but did not issue an apology, which should have been must depend on the consent of ministers.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, to be held in Samoa on 25 and 26 October, will bring together the leaders of 56 countries.
Even as the issue of historical links to slavery was raised at the summit, the British government told the BBC there were no plans for a symbolic apology.
There has been a rejection of reparations for slavery, but 10 Downing Street has also now said there will be no apology.
Instead, the focus will be on current issues, a government spokesman said, such as “the shared challenges and opportunities facing the Commonwealth, including promoting growth across our economies.”
The monarch’s speeches are made on the advice of his ministers. This means the King will not be able to apologize for the UK’s links to slavery unless he has the government’s approval.
Labor MPs including Bell Ribeiro-Addy have called on the British government to officially apologize for its involvement in the slave trade.
David Lammy, as an MP on the opposition benches in 2018, spoke about reparations amid people seeking justice after the Windrush scandal.
He wrote on Twitter: “As Caribbean people who were enslaved, colonized and invited to come to Britain as citizens, we remember our history. We don’t just want a plea fault but also want to be compensated and compensated.”
But with the Labor Party now in power and Lammy foreign secretary, Downing Street has ruled out a formal apology for slavery and ended speculation about any statement at a Commonwealth meeting in Samoa, which could be the international platform for such an apology.
That means the no-apology policy continues from the previous government, when chancellor Rishi Sunak last year rejected the idea, saying “trying to pick apart our history is not the right way to go.” right”.
Opponents of the apology have pointed to Britain’s prominent role in ending slavery, including the 1807 law abolishing the slave trade.
Discussions of formal apologies or reparations could still be offered by other countries, with Caribbean leaders already arguing for financial recognition of the legacy of slavery, with a figure of £200 billion quoted.
The Commonwealth Summit will also vote on a new secretary-general and all three candidates are advocates of reparations for transatlantic slavery.
This is a highly divisive issue among the public, including readers of the BBC’s Royal Watch newsletter, who contacted by email.
Ruth, from the UK, said: “Those of us living now should not feel guilty or apologetic for something that has absolutely nothing to do with us.”
“We don’t like what happened, but we weren’t there at the time, so why should we say sorry?”
Ronald, from Bristol in England, has the opposite view.
“A sincere apology would acknowledge that grievance and, in my view, would go some way to assuaging the sense of injustice,” he said.
Sarah, in Ghana, said it was “humane” for the King to issue an apology.
“I believe it will go a long way to healing the wounds caused by the slave trade,” she said.
The King and Queen Camilla arrived in Australia on Friday to begin a six-day tour of the country, which will be followed by a Commonwealth summit in Samoa next week.
