Starmer: UK cannot be ‘protectionist’ amid Commonwealth economic opportunities

Britain cannot afford to be “protectionist” as it attempts to boost growth, Sir Keir Starmer has warned, as he seeks to tap into the Commonwealth’s 19 trillion US dollar “economic heft”.

The Prime Minister is set to arrive in Samoa as the clock turns midnight on Thursday UK time for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm).

His arrival comes amid a row about reparations for the UK’s historical role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, but Sir Keir has insisted the Commonwealth needs to face forward, not look backward.

Sir Keir will make history as the first UK Prime Minister to have visited a Pacific island nation, and will be in the company of King Charles, the head of the Commonwealth, during the gathering.

The Prime Minister is expected to make the case for strong economic bonds across the association, including by creating a new UK Trade Centre of Expertise, operating out of the Foreign Office.

While the Commonwealth includes established UK trading partners like Canada, Singapore, and Australia, the Prime Minister is also eyeing up opportunities with developing country member states.

This includes six of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies: Guyana, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Uganda, India and Mozambique.

At Chogm, he will also meet with business leaders from the Bank of America and Lloyd’s of London, following on from the recent investment summit he hosted in London.

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix the foundations to turn round the lives of everyday people in the UK, but we can’t do that with a protectionist approach,” the Prime Minister said.

He added: “Under this government’s pragmatic and sensible approach, we must harness the opportunities to work with genuine partners – like our Commonwealth family – across the world to build resilient economies that offer real opportunity for our people, whether that is accessing untapped markets, or collaborating on grassroots innovations.

“The combined GDP of the Commonwealth is expected to exceed 19.5 trillion US dollars in the next three years, we cannot let that economic heft go to waste.”

As he travelled to the summit, Sir Keir insisted calls for reparations for slavery were not on his agenda.

“On the question of which way we’re facing I think we should be facing forward,” he told reporters.

“I’ve talked to a lot of our Commonwealth colleagues in the Commonwealth family and they’re facing real challenges on things like climate in the here and now.”

Sir Keir said other nations in the association were more interested in raising cash to tackle the impact of climate change

“That’s where I’m going to put my focus rather than what will end up being very, very long endless discussions about reparations on the past,” he added.

The Prime Minister said there was “no question” that slavery was “abhorrent”, adding: “But I think from my point of view and taking the approach I’ve just taken, I’d rather roll up my sleeves and work with them on the current future-facing challenges than spend a lot of time on the past. That’s my focus.”

The political leaders of India and South Africa – Narendra Modi and Cyril Ramaphosa – have both snubbed Chogm to join the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, alongside Vladimir Putin.

Sir Keir said it was “a matter for them as to where they attend” when asked his opinion of their decision to prioritise the BRICS gathering.