Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2025 to question 32987 on Commonwealth: Development Aid, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department had discussions with t
Answer
The Foreign Secretary and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials have had regular discussions with Commonwealth counterparts in the lead up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, including at the UK-Caribbean Forum in March 2026. These discussions covered the breadth of Member States interests, including the transatlantic slave trade. Some partners raised reparatory justice in this context, and the UK position was made clear. The UK does not believe the British people today can be held liable for historical acts, however heinous, which happened in a different age under different laws which did not prohibit the acts, and in which they played no personal part.
Verdict: AMBER (55/100)
The reply gives a direct account of regular official and ministerial engagement with Commonwealth counterparts, citing the UK-Caribbean Forum in March 2026 and saying the discussions covered the transatlantic slave trade. It does not address Commonwealth development aid or describe engagement by Ministers other than the Foreign Secretary, so the first part of the question is only partly answered. A member of the public would have some concrete information but would likely need to follow up on the aid element.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the nature of the Secretary of State's engagement, and that of Ministers in the Department, with the counterparty named in the question (the question text is truncated in the source), in relation to Commonwealth development aid. | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply describes regular discussions by the Foreign Secretary with Commonwealth counterparts, cites the UK-Caribbean Forum in March 2026, and says the discussions covered the transatlantic slave trade. It does not address Commonwealth development aid or describe any engagement by other Ministers, so the answer covers only part of the item. |
| What is the nature of the engagement of officials in the Department with the same counterparty named in the question (the question text is truncated in the source), in relation to Commonwealth development aid. | Addressed | Direct | The reply states that FCDO officials have had regular discussions with Commonwealth counterparts, and names a specific forum (the UK-Caribbean Forum, March 2026) as one such occasion. That gives a concrete account of the general pattern of official-level engagement, though the link to development aid is not drawn out. |