UK Politics
Burnham Hands the Caribbean £40m for Green Energy While Ruling Out Slavery Reparations
Andy Burnham is set to pledge £40m for Caribbean infrastructure and green energy at the Commonwealth summit, but rules out slavery reparations.
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News | By Matt, Editor
Andy Burnham will today pledge £40m of British money for infrastructure and green energy projects in the Caribbean, while insisting the UK will not pay reparations for the slave trade.
The Prime Minister is in Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth leaders’ summit, which is due to open later today. Downing Street said the money would be spread over three years to speed up “critical infrastructure investment including green energy” and would come “from within existing budgets” (The Independent).
It comes days after he opened the door to Britain’s first formal apology for slavery, a move we covered when Nigel Farage told him “enough”. Today’s package goes further than words, and Caribbean leaders have already made clear it does not settle the question.
Have your sayTap to commentKey facts
- £40m over three years for Caribbean infrastructure, including renewable energy, plus technical help to attract investment (The Telegraph).
- A “debt reset” to help the poorest Commonwealth countries repay over longer periods at better interest rates (The Independent).
- A “structured dialogue” with affected countries on what a formal apology should look like (The Guardian).
- The BBC says a formal apology is likely next year, when the UK holds the G20 presidency (BBC News).
- Mr Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband rule out direct cash reparations.
- Britain already gives Nigeria £75m in aid this year and Jamaica £2.4m, The Telegraph reports.
What Burnham is offering
Alongside the £40m, Mr Burnham will set out what No 10 calls a “debt reset” for poorer Commonwealth members struggling with repayments. He will argue that any relief must also involve lenders outside the G7 and the private sector (The Independent).
Britain will also lead two new task forces, one on critical minerals and one on trade and investment. Officials say both will be set up by the end of the year.
Mr Burnham said: “Britain is bringing a new approach to this meeting, as we look to reshape a new era for the Commonwealth, as well as being open to discussions about the past.”
The Telegraph reported on Sunday that he was open to more financial help for Caribbean nations, and that Barbados’s Prime Minister Mia Mottley expected “investment in health and education” (The Telegraph). The paper said no extra aid would be paid this financial year.
An apology, but no cash?
Mr Burnham has called the slave trade a “brutal and barbaric violation”. His spokesman said his personal sorrow and regret were “distinct from a formal apology”, and that “an apology of this significance should be informed by the people and countries most affected” (BBC News).
The Foreign Office will run the talks, and officials say countries “are responding positively” (The Guardian). No British government has ever made a formal apology. Tony Blair expressed “deep sorrow” in 2006 but stopped short.
Ed Miliband posted a video answering questions on the subject. In it he said a formal apology was something “the British government are open to”, but added: “We don’t think the right response is to ask British taxpayers today to make financial payments for these historic acts” (BBC News).
Replies under the post far outnumber its likes.
The Caribbean says nothing has changed
Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who hosts the summit, called Mr Burnham’s opening “a significant and welcome development”. He welcomed help on debt and the move to renewable energy (statement, 30 October).
But he added: “The Caribbean’s longstanding position on reparatory justice remains unchanged.” He said differences over financial compensation should be settled through dialogue, and that the talks “should have a firm timeline”.
At the last summit, in Samoa in 2024, Downing Street insisted compensation was not on the agenda. All 56 nations then signed a communique backing talks on reparatory justice (The Independent).
What the King will say
The King is due to open the summit later today. Buckingham Palace says his speech will reflect the Government’s position, and he is expected to speak of “sincere sorrow” rather than apologise (BBC News).
The Palace described his role as “inspiring and convening, rather than policy-making”. As head of state he stays out of party politics, and any apology is a decision for ministers.
Opposition: “When will the demands stop?”
Kemi Badenoch said: “I don’t think we should be giving any money to compensate people for the slave trade, and I don’t think that Andy Burnham needs to be apologising because it is a lever to wedge open the door to ask for cash” (The Independent).
Robert Jenrick went further:
When the £40m was announced last night, he said the money should go on potholes at home instead:
Reform UK’s Richard Tice said the row was a distraction from the cost of living:
Nigel Farage said Reform would ban visas from any country that keeps demanding reparations from Britain:
Our view
This section is opinion.
Slavery was a monstrous crime, and Britain spent its own money and its sailors’ lives ending it. Neither fact is in dispute. The row is about money, and whose it is.
Mr Burnham says no reparations. Yet he goes into the summit with £40m, a debt plan and talks on an apology. Mr Browne has welcomed the move, and in the same statement said the Caribbean’s demand for reparatory justice “remains unchanged”. The two sides are not describing the same deal.
At home, his Government’s first Budget added an extra 2% tax on savings and rental income, and borrowing is now forecast to be higher than expected in every year (see our Budget explainer). Mr Burnham himself has admitted the Budget was not as radical as he wanted. “From within existing budgets” still means taxpayers’ money.
A dialogue with no end date and no limit is an open negotiation, and the people paying are not at the table. Ministers should be far more careful with other people’s money. For more on the man making the offer, read who Andy Burnham is and how much business experience sits in his Cabinet.
Should Britain be handing £40m to Caribbean green energy schemes? Vote in our poll below.
Sources
- The Telegraph, 2 November 2026: Burnham hands Caribbean £40m
- The Telegraph, 1 November 2026: Burnham open to slavery payouts
- The Independent, 2 November 2026 and 3 November 2026
- The Guardian, 2 November 2026: structured dialogue on a formal apology
- BBC News and BBC News: the apology and the King’s speech
- Antigua News Room, 30 October 2026: statement by Prime Minister Gaston Browne
- FCDO DevTracker: UK aid by country
- Posts on X by Ed Miliband, Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, Richard Tice and Nigel Farage, 1 and 2 November 2026 (embedded above)
- Main image: Andy Burnham outside 10 Downing Street, 20 July 2026, by Kirsty O’Connor / No 10 Downing Street via Wikimedia Commons, Open Government Licence v3.0
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