Joshua Setipa, a former trade minister for Lesotho who is one of the three hopefuls, has said he supports “the idea of reparative justice”.
He told the Financial Times that it was time for the UK to “acknowledge injustices committed during slavery and colonialism” and their ongoing impact.
Rather than writing “cheques”, he said Britain and other Western nations should instead support more cheap loans and grants to developing countries.
Shirley Botchwey, Ghana’s foreign minister who is also running for secretary general, has previously said that “financial reparations is good”.
“Whether or not the Commonwealth has a role to play will depend on the heads of government, who will give the secretary general her marching orders,” she said.
Mamadou Tangara, The Gambia’s foreign minister and the final candidate, had in the past added: “I am fully in support of reparatory justice.
“The Commonwealth can use its convening power to facilitate the dialogue and make it happen.”
Barrage of calls for reparations
One of the three will be elected to replace Lady Scotland, a former attorney general, who has come to the end of her eight-year term in office.
Sir Keir can expect to face a barrage of demands for reparations from Commonwealth leaders who he meets during the six-day summit.
Island nations including the Bahamas and Barbados are also pressing for multi-billion pound payouts linked to Western countries’ impact on climate change.
Philip Davis, the prime minister of the Bahamas, told The Observer: “The Commonwealth is the ideal forum for making progress on reparations.
“Our very name echoes the principles and values of the necessary stewardship of the wealth we hold in common – our shared planet.”
A No 10 spokesman insisted Sir Keir would not bow to calls for reparations.
He said: “Just to be clear, reparations are not on the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
“Secondly, the Government’s position has not changed. We do not pay reparations.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman also insisted that Sir Keir would not be offering an apology for slavery when he meets Commonwealth leaders.
He said: “We won’t be offering an apology at CHOGM, but we will continue to engage with partners on the issues as we work with them to tackle the pressing challenges of today and indeed for the future generations.”