Commonwealth secretary-general Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has said King Charles III should apologise for slavery, arguing that the time has arrived for member states to have a serious conversation about reparations.

Ms Botchwey said Commonwealth nations wanted the monarch to acknowledge the transatlantic slave trade, adding that such an apology “wouldn’t hurt”.

“I don’t believe we can run away from it,” she said. “But it is important to determine what form reparations should take, and that is something that will emerge eventually.

“As difficult as the subject is, I believe countries will reach some conclusions. Whether that means financial payments or reparations in kind is ultimately a matter for the countries to decide.”

The former Ghanaian foreign minister told Sky News that reparations might include “concessional financing”, debt relief, action on climate-related concerns or the return of cultural artefacts.

Asked whether the King should apologise for slavery, Ms Botchwey replied: “That’s what the countries have asked for… It wouldn’t hurt to have that. Not at all.”

However, shadow home secretary Chris Philp dismissed the suggestion as “nonsense”, telling the Daily Mail: “People today aren’t responsible for what happened hundreds of years ago.

“Many societies appallingly practised slavery, including many in Africa. The UK was the first to enforce abolition. Calls for reparations are absurd and shouldn’t even be entertained.”

The comments come as Buckingham Palace said the King’s Caribbean tour next week would confront “the darkest days of our past”, amid continuing debate across the Commonwealth over slavery and reparations.

Charles is facing fresh pressure to apologise for the UK’s part in the transatlantic trade in enslaved people as he prepares to attend a major Commonwealth leaders’ meeting with Queen Camilla in Antigua and Barbuda next month.

Reparations, whether through financial compensation or other forms of redress from countries linked to the slave trade, are also expected to feature during his separate visits to Guyana and The Bahamas.

The King acts on the advice of his ministers, and it is understood that the Government has not asked him to issue an apology or support reparations, in line with its established position.

In March, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution describing the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity”. The UK and EU member states were among 52 countries that abstained.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who is expected to attend the Commonwealth summit alongside Prime Minister Andy Burnham, recently repeated the Government’s stance.

“I don’t think reparations are the answer,” he told Politico. “I’ve had those discussions already with some of our Commonwealth colleagues.”

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said earlier this month that governments were holding important discussions about the legacy of colonialism and the lasting effects of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people.

“While these are primarily matters for Governments to address, His Majesty’s previous statements on them have been unequivocal,” the spokesperson said, describing slavery as an “atrocity” that “forever stains our history”.

The Palace added that the visit would not avoid “the darkest days of our past”, as the King has described them. However, at the request of host nations, the programme will focus mainly on each country’s present and future, with schedules shaped in consultation with their governments and tailored to their priorities.

‘That said, it is important to note here the work His Majesty himself has done over many years both to acknowledge the wrongs of the past and to find creative ways to ‘right inequalities that endure’.

‘As you would therefore expect, opportunities will be found during the visit to reflect and renew his personal, wholehearted and continuing commitment to that process.’

Britain’s royal family has a long association with the transportation and selling of enslaved people for profit.

Elizabeth I backed the lucrative dealings of John Hawkins, one of Britain’s first slave traders, and Charles II encouraged the expansion of the enterprise, granting a charter to a group of men, the Royal Adventurers, who later became the Royal African Company, and invested private funds in the firm, as did the Duke of York.

The company’s charter said the initials ‘DY’ for Duke of York were branded on the left buttock or breast of many of the slaves the company shipped to what were called the ‘sugar islands’ in the Caribbean.

As the slavery abolitionists campaigned against the trade, they were opposed by the Duke of Clarence, George III’s son, later to become William IV.

Charles, head of the Commonwealth, acknowledged the ‘appalling atrocity of slavery’, describing it as something ‘which forever stains our history’, when he attended the ceremony marking Barbados’s historic transition to a republic in 2021.

A year later, he described how he was on a personal journey of discovery and was continuing to ‘deepen my own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact’, in a speech at the opening of a Commonwealth summit hosted by Rwanda.

Barbados’s Prime Minister Mia Mottley, whose administration ditched Queen Elizabeth II, led a group of Caribbean leaders who launched a new slavery reparations manifesto during a reparations conference held in Ghana in June.

The UK Government’s position on reparations is well established. It acknowledges the trade in enslaved people was abhorrent and its impact is still felt today, but it will not pay financial reparations for historical acts that did not break international laws at the time and is committed to continued dialogue with Commonwealth nations.

Last month a delegation from Jamaica travelled to the UK to file a petition asking the King to refer three questions about transatlantic chattel slavery to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the Caribbean island’s highest court of appeal.

Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, asked why her country should not seek slavery reparations when Britain was still paying off debt linked to slave-owner compensation just 11 years ago.

Charles will begin his Caribbean tour by visiting The Bahamas from October 27 to 29, followed by the state visit to Guyana, October 29 to 30 and attend Chogm during his trip to Antigua and Barbuda with the Queen from November 1 to 4.

A palace spokesperson previously highlighted the King’s comments about slavery during other Chogms, adding: ‘And it’s not just about what His Majesty has said, it’s about what he’s done – the personal support for Commonwealth education programmes since the last Chogm, and his support, over many decades, for young people through the King’s Trust.

‘This shows that he has always engaged in ways in which the inequalities of the past can be righted. But as far as reparations and apologies go, that is a matter for the Government.’

A Government spokesperson said: ‘The transatlantic slave trade was abhorrent. We fully recognise its horrific impacts and the ongoing strength of feeling it arouses. The UK’s position is clear: we do not and will not pay reparations.’

Beau Lamarre-Condon was exchanging casual messages with a childhood friend about Taylor Swift, dinner and a planned European trip while allegedly killing two people and concealing their bodies.

Lamarre-Condon, 31, is accused of fatally shooting his former boyfriend, Jesse Baird, and Baird’s new partner, Luke Davies, with his police-issued firearm inside a Paddington terrace on the morning of February 19, 2024.

He allegedly put the bodies in surfboard bags and left them beneath a tarp behind the terrace. Later that night, he is accused of moving them into a rented white Toyota HiAce van while Baird’s two housemates slept upstairs.

Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to two domestic violence-related murder charges and one count of break and enter. His trial is taking place before a jury in the NSW Supreme Court.

The court heard earlier this week that Lamarre-Condon allegedly persuaded a friend, identified under the pseudonym Elizabeth Kennedy for legal reasons, to help him hide the bodies.

Ms Kennedy told the court she did not know the van contained bodies when Lamarre-Condon collected her from home around lunchtime on February 21, two days after the alleged killings. She said he simply asked whether she “wanted to go for a drive”.

Court documents released this week include messages Ms Kennedy sent to Lamarre-Condon between February 20 and 23, covering the period before and after the bodies were allegedly dumped at Bungonia, about 200km south of Sydney.

Police were unable to recover Lamarre-Condon’s replies because they were sent through the encrypted messaging app Signal. His messages had been set to disappear 24 hours after being sent.

At 1.16pm on February 20, around 28 hours after the alleged double murder, Ms Kennedy messaged Lamarre-Condon: “You’re going to Taylor Swift the Saturday, right?”

She added: “I’m thinking of Taylor gating it I’m getting fomo [fear of missing out] after Melbourne haha.”

Earlier messages showed the pair had discussed buying as many tickets as possible for Taylor Swift’s Australian tour in 2023/24.

Ms Kennedy also asked whether Lamarre-Condon would listen to the concert from a nearby park because they had been unable to secure tickets.

His response was not included in the court documents, although Ms Kennedy appeared to be replying to one of his messages when she wrote: “Yeah I’m gonna do it.”

At 7.27am the next day, February 21, Ms Kennedy messaged him again: “Hey probably like 11 but I’m going to my mums for a couple of hours after why what’s up? Xx”

She followed up with: “[Oh my God] did you deactivate insta?”

The court has previously heard that Lamarre-Condon deactivated his Instagram account after the alleged murders.

Lamarre-Condon’s responses aren’t available, but Ms Kennedy appeared to reply to a number of his messages.

She wrote: ‘Perfect I’m just at work now will be ready to go at lunch time keep me updated xx’

‘Love you x.’

‘[My boyfriend] is putting a lot of effort into dinner so I said I’d be there.’

‘Perfect xx.’

Ms Kennedy told the court earlier this week that Lamarre-Condon had organised to collect her from home after lunch on February 21 to book accommodation for their planned Europe trip later in 2024.

She told Lamarre-Condon that her partner was making dinner and she wanted to be home in time, and had no idea he was going to drive her to Bungonia, 200km south of Sydney, the court heard.

When he picked her up near her house, she noticed a blue tarp in the back of the van, but she couldn’t see much because the van had a mesh cage between the back and the front.

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The court previously heard that Lamarre-Condon allegedly concealed Baird and Davies’ bodies inside two surfboard bags, underneath a blue tarp. 

Ms Kennedy told the court she was freezing during the trip because the air conditioning was on the coldest setting and the windows were open throughout the trip, and he wouldn’t let her adjust any of the settings.

They went to Bunnings in Goulburn to get an angle grinder because Lamarre-Condon said he had to break into a friend’s farm to stop cattle from escaping.

Once they arrived at Cella Farm in Bungonia, she saw him cut the lock at the front gate with the angle grinder and asked her to cover the rental van number plate with a garbage bag.

Ms Kennedy said he then drove around the back of the property, where she couldn’t see him anymore, and left her at the gate for about 40 minutes.

When Ms Kennedy was alone, she started panicking.

‘I was hyperventilating and crying,’ she told the court.

‘I had a panic attack, I was squatting, I wanted to turn my phone on… He came back and told me to shush because I was panicking and he asked if I’d called anyone and I said no.’

‘He said, “I’m going to take you home right now”, and I started to calm down.’

Ms Kennedy said it felt as though ‘something had gone wrong’ and Lamarre-Condon wanted a peach Lipton Iced Tea because he was going to be ‘up all night’, but didn’t explain why.

She arrived home at about 12am on February 22, and was ‘annoyed’ because she’d missed dinner with her partner and Lamarre-Condon wouldn’t let her turn her phone on to let him know she’d be late.

Court documents show Ms Kennedy tried to call Lamarre-Condon about a dozen times on February 22, between 12.20pm and 6pm.

Eventually, he called her on the encrypted messaging app Signal.

She told the court: ‘I saw the news the night before that Jesse was missing and I had some questions.

‘He said he couldn’t answer them on the phone, he said he was seeing police on Friday morning because he had a meeting with them.’

During the call, the court heard Ms Kennedy said to Lamarre-Condon: ‘Have you seen the news?’

The court heard he replied: ‘Yeah, it’s crazy. I have to go to Bondi Police Station to talk to detectives tomorrow.’

She asked: ‘Do you know where Jesse is?’

He replied: ‘No, it’s just crazy.’

The pair had planned to go to Europe together later that year. On the call, Lamarre-Condon allegedly said: ‘If I can’t go to Europe with you, I’m so sorry, I love you.’

She said: ‘It felt like a final call… He sounded apologetic, a bit stressed, and then he hung up and tried to call him back after that but the phone was off.’

Crown prosecutors allege Lamarre-Condon left Ms Kennedy at the gate of the property so he could dump the bodies himself.

He allegedly tried to sink the bodies using weights and cement, before abandoning that plan and instead leaving them to decay by a fence line, underneath rocks and tree foliage.

Ms Kennedy told the court she couldn’t smell anything in the van and had no idea what Lamarre-Condon was doing when he left her alone.

The case returns to court on Monday. 

The UK is preparing for a spell of severe weather, with two named storms set to bring potentially damaging winds, intense rain and travel disruption today and throughout the weekend.

Storm Austen, the season’s first named storm, is forecast to produce gusts of up to 80mph across parts of south-west England. Winds of between 60mph and 70mph are expected more widely across the region.

The Met Office has issued an amber wind warning for Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly. It comes into force at 1am and remains in place until 10am.

The strongest winds will arrive alongside periods of heavy rain, although conditions are expected to gradually ease as the day progresses.

Forecasters warned that Storm Austen could cause disruption and bring potentially damaging winds, with roads and public transport services likely to be affected.

The Met Office said flying debris was likely, while buildings could also be damaged, including roof tiles being blown loose.

Large waves are expected along exposed coastlines and could pose a danger to life. Debris from beaches may also be swept onto coastal roads, promenades and nearby properties.

Stormy conditions may also lead to interruptions to mobile phone coverage and power supplies, according to the Met Office.

Chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said the storm represented the first significant bout of stormy weather to reach southern parts of the UK this season, adding that some disruption was expected as it moved through the country.

Mr Armstrong said that, with trees still in leaf, fallen branches and trees could block roads and railway lines, urging commuters to take extra care during Friday morning travel.

A second system, Storm Boelo, is expected to bring what forecasters described as “impactful winds” to Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England over the weekend.

Yellow weather warnings cover mainland Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney and the far north of England from 6pm on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday.

Widespread gusts of 55mph to 65mph are forecast, while more exposed coastal areas could see winds reaching 70mph to 80mph, the Met Office said.

Network Rail Scotland said trains would operate at reduced speeds on Friday and throughout the weekend as a safety measure in areas forecast to experience the heaviest rain.

Southern Rail also reported early on Friday that a lightning strike at Normans Bay had prevented trains from stopping at the station.

Elsewhere, National Rail said in a post on X that the weather warning meant fewer trains would call at Ryde Pier Head until 6pm on Friday.

The operator also said a number of services in England’s north will be changed throughout the day on Friday, advising passengers to plan ahead.

Some services between Leeds and York via Harrogate will not stop at Weeton or Headingley, while trains between York and Blackpool North will skip New Pudsey.

A separate yellow warning, covering Northern Ireland from 6pm on Saturday to 3pm on Sunday, is due to predicted winds of 50-60mph, with up to 65-75mph in exposed regions.

Storm Boelo is a separate low pressure system to Storm Austen.

Storm Austen is due to clear eastwards into the North Sea through Friday.

Forecasters have also issued a yellow warning for wind across a large area of south west England and Wales, running from 10pm on Thursday through to 5pm on Friday – with gusts predicted to reach up to 45-55mph.

Another yellow weather warning for large parts of England, the North West and North Wales is in place from 10am Friday until 9pm that evening.

Heavy rain is expected on Friday, as Storm Austen tracks eastwards throughout the day.

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It will be heaviest in southern and eastern Scotland, where a yellow weather warning has been issued from 7am to midnight on Friday.

Accumulations of 20-40mm are expected within the warning area throughout this time, with 60-80mm possible in some locations, the Met Office said.

This could bring flooding and travel disruption in a few places.

One flood warning, meaning flooding is expected, remained in place for the South Devon coast at Beesands, Torcross, Slapton and Dawlish.

Eight other flood alerts – meaning flooding is possible – were in place across England.

Garth Smith, head of resilience at the British Red Cross, has encouraged the public to take steps to protect themselves, their families and their homes.

He said: ‘We have practical advice that can make a real difference – from checking in with people who may be more vulnerable, securing loose items in your garden to checking windows and doors, and making an evacuation plan for your household, including pets.

‘We also urge people to keep an eye on local weather reports and guidance from local authorities.’

Ross Macleod, the RNLI’s water safety manager, has asked people not to take ‘unnecessary risks’ when visiting the coast.

He said: ‘If you plan to visit the coast or a waterside location, we urge you stay a safe distance from the water as conditions could knock you off your feet or wash you into the sea.’

The forecast comes a week after severe drought was declared in parts of England, amid concerns over dwindling reservoirs because of extremely dry conditions.

The South East and South West have experienced their driest April to September for more than a century – affecting reservoirs in those areas, according to officials.

As a result, ‘severe drought’ – in which a lack of water affects daily life and the environment in major ways, and can have extensive effects – has been declared in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex.

But supercharged El Nino conditions in the Pacific which affect weather across the world will put the UK at greater risk of a wet stormy autumn overall, forecasters say.

The Met Office storm year runs from September to August, with each 12-month period having its own alphabetical list of names that are used to label successive storms.

This year’s list begins with Austen and continues with Boelo, Chloe, Dano and Evelyn, ending at W with Wende.

Storm naming is a partnership between the Met Office, Ireland’s Met Éireann and the Dutch service KNMI.

Met Éireann selected the name for the first storm in honour of Austen Nagle, the Irish Meteorological Service’s first director.

KNMI picked names from more than 3,000 suggestions submitted by the public, including Boelo – a nearly extinct name from the east Groningen region that has been passed down through the nominator’s family for generations.

Greenpeace climate campaigner Maja Darlington has called on the Government to act to stop a ‘doomloop of extreme weather’, after a summer of wildfires and drought.

She said: ‘We’ve barely cooled off from a summer of blistering heat, and now the first winter storms are battering at the front door.

‘While millions of people face the prospect of ruined homes and businesses, oil giants are preparing to announce multi-billion-pound profits next week.’

‘The Government must take a stand against this doomloop of extreme weather and corporate impunity,’ Ms Darlington added.

Byron Bay influencer Ruby Tuesday Matthews says she is considering leaving Australia permanently, joining a growing number of Australians weighing up a move overseas.

The 33-year-old mother of three shared the update during an Instagram Q&A on Thursday, revealing that she and her partner, Shannan Dodd, were exploring a relocation to Hong Kong.

“I’m going to say 90 percent sure we’re going,” Ruby told her followers.

Shannan, who was beside her during the Q&A, agreed that the move could benefit their businesses. “I think that we should definitely [move]… because our business will thrive a lot more overseas.”

Ruby also used the discussion to criticise Australia’s tax system, saying that the couple felt they were surrendering a significant portion of their earnings despite working harder than ever.

“Well, realistically, we give all of our money to the bloody government and we work harder than we’ve ever worked in our life,” she said.

The couple runs four companies between them, including fashion label Robey and fine jewellery brand Toujours, Ruby explained.

“And we don’t even get to see our kids, let alone go on a proper holiday or like do anything, and we give everything to the government,” she complained, as Shannan nodded in agreement.

Their remarks come as Australia’s tax arrangements remain a source of debate among business owners and high-income earners, particularly around the distinction between personal income tax and company tax.

Australian companies generally pay a corporate tax rate of 30 per cent. Eligible small businesses with an aggregated turnover of less than $50 million may qualify for the lower 25 per cent rate.

Company tax is separate from the personal income tax individuals pay, so a business owner’s total tax position depends on how the company is structured and how its profits are distributed.

Ruby recently returned from South Korea, where she underwent a $16,000 facelift in August.

She later attracted attention during her recovery after posting a tearful video about her demanding work schedule and the grief she was experiencing following the death of her best friend, Byron Bay property developer Myles Trainor.

Trainor, 41, died in June and left behind two young sons. Ruby had previously paid tribute to her close friend, who was also the godfather of her daughter, Holiday.

She also disclosed that she had experienced complications after a failed dilation and curettage procedure, known as a D&C, and subsequently required emergency surgery.

“Just been through some of the biggest changes as of late, losing my best friend, which I think has just really hit me, having a D&C that failed and then having to have an emergency surgery which hormonally has f**ked me,” she said.

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Ruby said the combination of her personal losses, health struggles and professional commitments had left her feeling overwhelmed.

‘Working with the most insane deadlines. I’m struggling so much in motherhood and navigating my children,’ she said. 

‘And on top of that, being someone who is neurodiverse myself and having ADHD, I’ve always felt like emotional regulation, extremely hard.’ 

Ruby added that she has been feeling overwhelmed by ‘financial obligations’ as well as her recent decision to part ways with her management.

She stressed that she was not sharing the video to receive sympathy or messages of reassurance, but rather to be honest about how difficult life could become.

‘There’s so many other people who reach the end of their tether,’ she said.

‘And I just wanted to say that, like, I feel you and I’m a normal person too.’

The influencer, who has previously spoken publicly about her mental health, said she believed people often forgot that the lives presented on social media did not tell the full story.

Ruby also spoke about the physical toll of undergoing surgery, saying she felt exhausted while trying to continue working overseas.

In another emotional video, she said she had not felt like herself since experiencing postnatal depression.

‘I’m at this weird point, I haven’t felt since kind of like having postnatal depression where I’m in such a weird headspace and usually I can get myself out of it,’ she said.

‘But I’m obviously overseas and I have to go to work an hour and pack my suitcase and keep going.’

Ruby said her demanding schedule had left her feeling as though she could barely catch her breath.

‘I’m just at the point of overwhelm,’ she reiterated, adding: ‘I know I have people I can reach out to, but I’m feeling so f**king alone. And I’m feeling pretty lost.’