Burnham's officials hold talks at Commonwealth summit on a possible slavery apology, as he announces £40m for Caribbean infrastructure

Prime Minister Andy Burnham's officials are holding talks with national leaders at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda, to discuss what form a British apology for the transatlantic slave trade could take, according to Reuters reporting carried by France 24 on Tuesday, November 3. Burnham had already said on October 31 that he was open to an apology but ruled out reparations. The summit talks are the new development: they put the question directly to the leaders of the 56 member states, most of them former British colonies.

King Charles III, who heads the Commonwealth, told leaders in his opening speech that his growing understanding of slavery had made him more committed to addressing past wrongs. He called the trade a "shameful chapter of history" but did not apologise, and neither the King nor the British government has so far offered an apology or discussed paying reparations.

Burnham has also announced a £40 million ($54 million) investment in critical infrastructure in the Caribbean over the next three years, and said he would like to discuss debt resets for smaller Commonwealth nations. Both he and the King have framed the Commonwealth's role in terms of modern needs, including climate change, education and health.

The reporting does not say what form an apology might take, whether talks will produce a formal proposal, or how the debt discussions would be structured. Protesters at the Antigua ceremony were calling for reparations, and that demand remains unmet.