Sir Keir Starmer could sign up to a Commonwealth communique which references reparations after Caribbean countries heaped pressure on the Prime Minister ahead of his visit to Samoa.
The Prime Minister, who is joined by King Charles and Foreign Secretary David Lammy on his Samoa trip, had vowed not to budge on the controversial request ahead of the Commonwealth summit.
However, a Whitehall source reportedly suggested that Starmer could sign up to the Commonwealth summit's communique that "references" slavery reparations.
Despite Starmer's hardline stance ahead of his visit to Samoa, the insider insisted that doing so would "not necessarily mean there is a change of policy".
A Whitehall source reportedly suggested that Starmer could sign up to the Commonwealth summit's communique that "references" slavery reparations
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The potential move would come after a number of Caribbean leaders and prominent backbench Labour MPs urged Starmer to commit to reparations.
Ahead of the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Starmer told reporters that he wanted to be "facing forward" on issues including climate change, rather than involved in "very, very long, endless discussion about reparations."
Despite acknowledging that slavery was "abhorrent", the Prime Minister said that he would "rather roll up [his] sleeves and work with them on the current future-facing challenges than spend a lot of time on the past".
However, some Commonwealth countries have called for the issue of "reparatory justice" to be recognised by an accord signed by the 55 states in an attempt to forge a "common future based on equity".
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Responding to Starmer's focus on the future, foreign affairs minister of the Bahamas Fred Mitchell said: "It's only a matter of time before his position changes, I am confident of it."
The Labour leader's stance on slavery reparations has sparked criticism from academics, as well as campaigners, arguing that his lack of movement unveiled a lack of leadership and a failure to understand calls from leaders in the global south.
Chair of the Guyana Reparations Committee Eric Phillips said: “I just don’t understand the relevance of the Commonwealth if PM Starmer takes this cruel approach.”
Academics and lawyers have estimated that the UK's total reparations bill ranges anywhere between £206billion and £19trillion for its involvement in the slave trade.
Starmer's stance on slavery showed a lack of leadership and a failure to understand calls from leaders in the global south, according to academics
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Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves last week rejected Caribbean calls for billions of pounds in cash after claiming reparations were "not on the cards".
Despite this steadfast commitment, the Government's wider stance has conflicted with the current Foreign Secretary's view on reparations during his time as a backbench MP following the Windrush scandal.
Speaking in 2018, Lammy said: "I'm afraid, as Caribbean people, we are not going to forget our history - we don't just want to hear an apology, we want reparation!"
Lammy has since aligned himself with the Government's stance on slavery reparations.
Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell said: "Starmer hand-picked Lammy to represent our country's interests on the world stage.
"He must have known that doing so would, given Lammys long-standing support for reparations, prompt demands from other nations to cripple our economy.
"Starmer needs to decide, does he represent the UKs interests on the world stage, or not?"
