Andy Burnham ‘open’ to calls for British formal apology for slavery

Andy Burnham has said he is “open” to calls for Britain to formally apologise for its role in the slave trade, but ruled out considering financial reparations.

The Prime Minister, who is due to attend the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in the Caribbean next week, expressed his personal “sorrow and regret” for the suffering caused by the transatlantic slave trade and said he wanted to offer a “structured dialogue” with those affected.

Writing in The Guardian, 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.

“Not just because it is in our interests, but because the Britain I believe in is confident, decent and brave. We led the world in abolishing slavery – and we can show leadership again today.”

He called the trade a “brutal and barbaric violation” of people “treated as property and worked to their deaths”.

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

Caribbean nations have made renewed calls for Britain to apologise for its role in selling enslaved people for profit, and for reparations, as the King toured the region.

The Prime Minister said: “We are offering a structured dialogue with those affected by the transatlantic slave trade.

“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.”

Ed Miliband and John Healey will join the summit (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

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In keeping with the policy of his predecessors, he stopped short of offering any consideration of reparation payments.

“Some have called 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.”

He said he would instead seek to launch a drive on debt-servicing to help countries repay over a longer time period with better rates.

Chancellor John Healey, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and former prime minister Gordon Brown will join him at the summit to help with this work, he said.

He said the UK will also support countries with the transition to renewable energy and getting smaller countries heard on the world stage, as well as with work to educate women and girls and tackle poverty and inequality.

Denis O’Brien, founder of The Repair Campaign, which describes itself as a transatlantic movement for reparatory justice for the Caribbean, said: “The British Government must stop obfuscating and give a full and formal apology now. This would be a significant and symbolic first step towards reparatory justice.

“Tonight’s statement from the Prime Minister was disappointing, and will not quell the demand for an apology from the 15 Caricom countries in advance of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua next week.”