Starmer confronts slavery reparations and says future should not be ‘in shadow of past’ in Commonwealth address

reparations are not on the table for the Commonwealth summit, even as leaders from Caribbean and African member states have called for discussions on the issue.

The UK has conceded that the issue of reparations could be included in a document due to be signed off at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting this week.

The PA news agency reports that sources accept that there could be a reference to reparatory justice in the communique, but officials stressed that this would not necessarily mean any change in the UK’s policy position.

More on that in a moment, but first, here is an update of the latest developments in UK politics:

Keir Starmer does not think all owners of stocks and shares fall outside his definition of “working people”, Downing Street has signalled. The prime minister had suggested asset owners would not fall within his conception of what a working person is. The government has been asked repeatedly to define this term, in a bid to establish which taxes may rise in the budget.
Downing Street is blocking moves to include a ban on smoking outdoors in the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes bill amid fierce opposition by the hospitality trade. No 10 officials privately believe that banning people from lighting up in pub gardens is “an unserious” policy and is not backed by good evidence showing that it harms non-smokers.
A Treasury minister has said he does not accept the idea that changes to the fiscal rules could “punish families with mortgages”, as was suggested by former chancellor Jeremy Hunt. When asked on Times Radio whether he accepted that, James Murray, the exchequer secretary to the Treasury said “well, no.”
Rachel Reeves will pledge to reverse huge cuts in public investment in her budget next week after she confirmed that rules limiting her spending power will be overhauled to enable the government to release as much as £50bn for infrastructure spending.
Businesses that import critical minerals to the UK will be given access to state-backed loans in a move to counter China’s dominance in the market. The chancellor is expected to announce extra government support to encourage the import of critical minerals such as lithium, graphite and cobalt in her budget next week.
The value of the UK’s private healthcare market rose to a record £12.4bn last year as long NHS waiting lists fuelled demand from individuals and the health service paid for nearly £3.5bn of procedures to help ease the care backlog.
A group that emerged out of a faction of the Conservative party has become a forum for Britain’s splintered far right. A private conference hosted earlier this month by the Traditional Britain Group (TBG) was attended by figures from the Homeland party, an extreme nationalist group, as well as rivals from other groups such as Patriotic Alternative.