Britainupdated 55m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 22 July 2026Andy Burnham Says UK Will Consider Formal Apology for Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
5 Western Mainstream1 Asian1 West AsianPhoto: Alecsandra Dragoi / No 10 Downing Street / UK Government and Number 10, OGL 3 · Cropped for layout
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UK will consider a formal apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade. He is open to an apology but rejects financial reparations.
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Burnham weighs apology
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said his government will consider apologizing for its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade as it seeks to strengthen relations with nations in Africa and the Caribbean. Burnham wrote in the Guardian that “For years, those members of the Commonwealth affected by the slave trade have asked for an honest conversation about the legacies of slavery,” and he said “By sticking our heads in the sand, we have damaged the ability of the Commonwealth to function.”
Burnham also said his government is offering to begin a “structured dialogue” with those affected by slavery and will listen to calls for a formal apology by the British state. Burnham ruled out reparations, saying “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.”
Caribbean leaders press
King Charles III acknowledged “the great suffering and injustices of the past” during his trip to the Caribbean, but he stopped short of an apology. Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, chair of the Bahamas' National Reparations Committee, said the king’s approach “did not go far enough,” adding, “We need action equal with the scale of the harm inflicted.”
Terence Campbell, a member of parliament for the opposition APNU, stood among protesters outside the Umana Yana in Georgetown, Guyana, and said, “It's an opportunity to try to impress upon him this historic responsibility for what took place here.” The Reuters account said Buckingham Palace indicated Charles would not apologise on behalf of Britain, which has repeatedly ruled out financial reparations over its role in the transatlantic slave trade.
Debt relief replaces cash
Burnham said his government would address contemporary challenges facing Commonwealth nations, including high levels of debt faced by many developing countries, and he said he would work with other wealthy nations and investors to help vulnerable countries pay off their debts over a longer period and at lower interest rates. The Guardian said Burnham rejected demands for financial reparations and maintained the position that British people today could not be held liable for the past, while he offered a structured dialogue and said “Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of this process and I am open to them.”
The Guardian also reported that debt servicing costs for the poorest and most vulnerable Commonwealth countries are at their highest in more than 25 years, with more than 40% of those spending more on interest repayments than on health. Reuters said Caribbean leaders often frame their demands in terms of debt relief, development finance, education, healthcare and climate resilience, measures they say would address inequalities rooted in slavery and colonialism.
