Burnham's sticky wicket in Antigua: PM takes a tumble playing cricket at Commonwealth summit as row over slavery apology and reparations rages

Published: 04:14 EDT, 3 November 2026 | Updated: 04:44 EDT, 3 November 2026 Andy Burnham is set to hand Commonwealth nations £40million and a formal apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade.The Prime Minister will use a meeting of the group's leaders in Antigua to discuss formal contrition from the UK over the mass forced transportation of African labour.He has has ruled out offering financial reparations but he will use the summit to set out plans for a 'debt reset' aimed at helping poorer Commonwealth countries.The £40 million from UK taxpayers will cover infrastructure improvements in the Caribbean over the next three years.However the issue of the apology could cause a major row between Downing Street and Buckingham Palace, with royal sources saying the King will not be responsible for delivering it. Politicians back in the UK are also furious, saying that an apology could pave the way for financial compensation claims. Mr Burnham's agenda in Antigua included a meeting with his counterpart from Barbados, Mia Mottley, who has previously suggested that Barbados alone is owed £3.2 trillion by slave trading nations for the crimes of the past.Their talks included a discussion on the PM's 'structured dialogue for communities impacted by the transatlantic slave trade'. Mr Burnham's agenda in Antigua included a meeting with his counterpart from Barbados, Mia Mottley, which included a discussion on slavery It was not the first time during the trip that he had come a-cropper trying to get on the front footThe Bajan PM has been one of the leading voices pushing for an apology and reparations from Britain, and led a group of Caribbean leaders who launched a new slavery reparations manifesto during a reparations conference held in Ghana in June.She had earlier welcomed Mr Burnham’s offer of dialogue and said she would participate as a member of Caricom – the Caribbean-based political and economic union of states. The issue will dominate a meeting of leaders, with Mr Burnham beginning talks over a formal apology and the King set to speak about the issue with 'unflinching honesty'. Diplomatic sources said the Prime Minister is ready to apologise for Britain's role in the slave trade within months, despite warnings it will trigger claims for trillions of pounds in compensation. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said an apology would give countries a reason to ask Britain for reparations that it cannot afford.She 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.'Mr Burnham's trip to the Caribbean saw him buckled under pressure in a different way - as he took a tumble on a rain-soaked cricket pitch.He went down on a sticky wicket as he prevaricated over a risky single during an event attended by West Indies great Sir Viv Richards at Pigotts cricket ground.He was there to meet young local cricketers and Will Gaffney, the founder of Bat For A Chance charity who has donated cricket equipment to Antiguans.'My running between the wickets needs a bit of work,' he joked shortly afterwards.