Politics · United Kingdom · 3 hrs ago
Badenoch says UK should reconsider attending Commonwealth summits over reparations demands
Kemi Badenoch said Britain should reconsider attending Commonwealth summits if they become occasions to demand money from the UK.
The Conservative leader was responding to Prime Minister Andy Burnham's suggestion that he could apologise for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade.
Some Caribbean countries are seeking apologies and reparations for that history, according to Badenoch's statement.
She argued that British taxpayers today should not be financially responsible for events generations ago.
She also asked whether descendants of African kingdoms and traders who profited from the trade would be asked to apologise.
Badenoch made no announcement of an actual boycott, saying Britain should question the value of attending if summits focus on demands for cash.
Kemi Badenoch said Britain should reconsider attending Commonwealth summits if they become forums for demands for money over the slave trade.
The Conservative leader also criticised Prime Minister Andy Burnham for considering a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.
In a post on X, Badenoch said British taxpayers today should not be financially responsible for events generations ago.
She questioned whether Caribbean countries would also seek apologies from descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants involved in the trade.
- Who
- Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, made the proposal.
- What
- She said Britain should reconsider attending Commonwealth summits if they become exercises in demands for cash over the slave trade.
- When
- 31 October 2026.
- Where
- Badenoch made her comments in a post on X. The proposal concerns Commonwealth summits.
- Why
- She said British taxpayers today should not be financially responsible for events generations ago.
Kemi Badenoch
Andy Burnham
Apology
Kemi Badenoch
Badenoch criticised the Prime Minister’s consideration of a formal historical apology.
Andy Burnham
Burnham suggested he could apologise for Britain’s role in the slave trade.
Summit attendance
Kemi Badenoch
Badenoch said Britain should reconsider attending if summits become exercises in demands for cash.
Andy Burnham
Not stated.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham suggested he could apologise for Britain’s role in the slave trade.
Badenoch posted on X that Britain should reconsider attending Commonwealth summits if they become exercises in demands for cash.
- Speaker
- Kemi Badenoch
- Prime Minister named
- Andy Burnham
- Platform
- X
- Issue
- Britain’s historical role in the transatlantic slave trade
- Publication date
- 31 October 2026
1 source
What people are saying
There is no reason British taxpayers today should be held financially responsible for things that happened generations before any of us were born.
If every Commonwealth summit becomes an exercise in presenting Britain with demands for cash, then we need to start asking if it is worth the effort.