Earlier in October, Mr Lammy sent a memo to diplomats at the Foreign Office which mentioned his own family’s experience of slavery as he reflected on Black History Month.
The note read: “It’s a chance to celebrate the enormous contribution of black people in Britain, and also to acknowledge some of our country’s most painful history.
“This is important to all of us in the FCDO. First, because of this department’s role in that history. From King Charles Street, British officials administered colonies in which millions were enslaved.
“My ancestors were among them, taken from Africa across the Atlantic to labour in the Caribbean.”
Mr Lammy added it was the job of the Foreign Office “to represent the UK, a nation in which black Britons make an astounding contribution in all walks of life”.
Rishi Sunak’s government repeatedly rejected the case for slavery reparations but neither Sir Keir nor Mr Lammy have commented on the issue during their first three months in power.
Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, is another prominent figure urging the Government to draw up a package of reparations before next week’s Chogm meeting.
’Britain owes £200 billion’
She has previously said slave-owning nations owed Barbados £3.9 trillion and called for “difficult” conversations over how the debt should be repaid.
Rev Dr Michael Banner, the Dean of Trinity College Cambridge, claimed in May that Britain owes the Caribbean more than £200 billion in slavery reparations.
He argued Britons were “the inheritors of wealth that came our way” during the slave trade and called on the Scottish Government to pay up even if Westminster failed to do so.
Patrick Robertson, a UN judge, said in 2023 that the UK was more likely to owe around £18 trillion for its involvement in slavery in 14 countries.
The King and Queen will both travel to Samoa as they also attend Chogm next week.
The King was recently given a Samoan dancing lesson at a reception in London. He has also been encouraged to ditch his usual suit in favour of a more relaxed “island vibe” when he attends the summit.
The Foreign Office was contacted for comment.