The UK is "not going to be paying out" reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told the BBC. She said she understood why Commonwealth leaders would be making such demands but it was not something the UK government would commit to.

The UK has long faced calls to provide reparations for its role in the Atlantic slave trade which saw millions of Africans enslaved and forced to work, largely on plantations in the Caribbean and Americas.

The UK is "not going to be paying out" reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told the BBC. Her comments come as diplomatic sources told the BBC that the Commonwealth heads of government are preparing to begin a "meaningful conversation" about an issue which could potentially mean the UK owing billions of pounds.