BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Oct 31, CMC – Prime Minister Mia Mottley has welcomed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s openness to a formal apology for slavery and an offer of structured dialogue, while maintaining that differences over reparations should not prevent progress in other areas.
Mottley said Barbados would participate in the discussions in good faith as a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
“Dialogue matters because we are not yet on the same page on every element. On reparations in particular, our views differ, and we will say so plainly and respectfully,” she said in a statement on Saturday.
“Honest disagreement on some questions should not hold back progress on the many others where we can readily agree.”
Burnham said he was open to hearing from those seeking a formal apology from Britain for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.
He also offered a “structured dialogue” with those affected, saying: “Having these difficult conversations to safeguard the Commonwealth for the future is the right thing to do. It is also the patriotic thing to do. Not just because it is in our interests, but because the Britain I believe in is confident, decent and brave. We led the world in abolishing slavery – and we can show leadership again today.”
Mottley identified a formal apology, action to address Afrophobia and anti-Black attitudes, investment in health and education, development partnerships to tackle poverty and inequality, and fairer debt arrangements for vulnerable countries as areas where agreement could be reached.
She said the CARICOM Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice should guide the parameters of the discussions.
The Barbados leader thanked Burnham and British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband for moving the issue towards a new stage of engagement.
She also acknowledged former British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who joined Commonwealth leaders in Samoa in 2024 in agreeing that the time had come for meaningful discussions on reparatory justice.
Mottley said the dialogue would involve CARICOM, the African Union and the United Kingdom.
“We are not necessarily expected to complete the task, but neither are we at liberty to resile from it,” she said.
“We all know that we cannot reach our destination if we do not start the journey.”
Earlier, CARICOM Chair and Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre, said the Community was ready to engage with the United Kingdom but insisted that reparatory justice must remain central to any discussions.
CMC/ed/2026