Burnham 'open' to slavery apology but rules out reparations

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Saturday, 31 October, that he was "open" to the UK issuing a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, but ruled out financial reparations. He set out the position in an op-ed in The Guardian, written days before he attends a Commonwealth leaders' summit in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda.

Burnham wrote that "we need to face up to the past" and said he wanted to "express my sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions." He argued that reparations were not "the right answer", writing that he did not think "British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws." He described the trade as a "brutal and barbaric violation" of enslaved people's rights and offered a "structured dialogue with those affected". Listening to calls for a formal apology, he wrote, "will form an important part of this process and I am open to them."

Burnham also said he planned to launch a debt restructuring drive for the poorest Commonwealth countries, led by former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown. He said he would work with "global partners" to help those countries repay over a longer period and at better rates. The reporting does not give a timetable for any apology or the scale of the debt initiative.

The announcement comes during King Charles III's nine-day tour of three Caribbean countries, which includes an address to the Commonwealth summit. Britain has never formally apologised for slavery or agreed to pay reparations. Denis O'Brien, founder of The Repair Campaign, said London "must stop obfuscating and give a full and formal apology now". Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said there was "no need" to revisit a formal apology and reiterated her opposition to reparations, urging the Commonwealth to "look forward".