James Landale-Diplomatic correspondent•@BBCJLandale
Commonwealth heads of government are preparing to defy the United Kingdom and agree plans to examine reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade, the BBC has learned.
Downing Street insists the issue is not on the agenda for the 56 Commonwealth countries’ summit, which begins on Friday in the Pacific island nation of Samoa.
However, diplomatic sources said that officials were negotiating an agreement to conduct further research and begin a “meaningful conversation” about an issue that could potentially leave the UK owing billions of pounds in reparations.
Frederick Mitchell, the Bahamas’ foreign minister, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Once you broach the subject, it may take a while for people to come around, but they will.”