Burnham signals willingness to discuss formal apology for slave trade
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has indicated he is open to a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. Writing in the Guardian before the Commonwealth summit, he proposed a “structured dialogue with those affected.” He said, “Having these difficult conversations to safeguard the Commonwealth for the future is the right thing to do. It is also the patriotic thing to do.”
Burnham, however, rejected calls for financial reparations from Caribbean nations. He stated, “I do not think that British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part.” Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley had earlier presented a manifesto making the “moral, ethical and legal case” for reparations.
The prime minister will attend the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, which runs through Wednesday. It is his first trip abroad with King Charles. Burnham aims to avoid the controversy over slavery reparations that overshadowed his predecessor Keir Starmer’s appearance at the 2024 summit.
