UK PM Open to Formal Apology for Britain’s Slave Trade Role — but Rejects Reparations

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he is open to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the country for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.

In an op-ed published Friday in The Guardian, Burnham described the slave trade as a “brutal and barbaric violation” against enslaved people.

“They were denied their humanity. They were separated from their families, treated as property and worked to their deaths,” Burnham said.

“I want to express my sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions of people, and to recognise the way it still shapes our world today.”

However, the prime minister said that while there have been calls for financial reparations for the slave trade, “I do not believe that is the right answer”.

“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.”

Instead, Burnham said he would launch a new drive to restructure debt for the poorest Commonwealth countries, helping them repay debt over a longer period and with better interest rates.

The prime minister’s comments come ahead of a Commonwealth leaders’ summit in the Caribbean next week where slavery and reparations are expected to dominate the agenda.

Just last week, Shirley Botchwey, Commonwealth secretary general, said a formal apology for slavery from King Charles, who will attend the heads of government summit, “wouldn’t hurt,” adding that the “time has come” for a serious conversation on reparations.