UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Seeks Formal Apology for Britain’s Slave-Trade Role Ahead of Caribbean CHOGM

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that he is “open” to a formal state apology for Britain’s participation in the transatlantic slave trade and will share his “sorrow and regret” with affected parties. Instead, Burnham said the UK will launch a drive to restructure debt for the poorest Commonwealth nations, extending repayment periods and improving interest rates. The Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) runs from Sunday 1 November until Wednesday 4 November, with King Charles in attendance.

The Guardian

Caribbean states have long pressed the UK for acknowledgment and compensation. A UN resolution in March labelled the historic trafficking of Africans as “the gravest crime against humanity,” prompting renewed diplomatic activity. At the 2024 CHOGM in Samoa, former colonies agreed that “the time has come” for reparations dialogue, though the UK then declined to place the issue on the agenda. The current Caribbean 10-point plan links debt cancellation, climate justice and slavery reparations, arguing that the legacy of the slave trade continues to shape health, education and economic outcomes.

The Guardian

Burnham’s remarks were echoed by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and former prime minister Gordon Brown, who will accompany him to the summit. Caribbean leaders responded with mixed approval. Dorbrene O’Marde, chair of the Antigua and Barbuda reparations support commission, welcomed the “movement in the correct direction” but rejected the exclusion of financial reparations. Former St Vincent and the Grenadines prime minister Ralph Gonsalves called an apology “necessary but insufficient,” insisting that a conversation without reparations “would be nothing.”

The Guardian

Polls cited in the coverage indicate that most UK voters oppose financial compensation, a factor shaping the government’s cautious stance.

The Guardian

Burnham highlighted that debt-service costs for the poorest Commonwealth countries are at their highest in more than 25 years, with over 40 % of spending directed to interest repayments rather than health services.

The Guardian

• “The Britain I believe in is confident, decent and brave. We led the world in abolishing slavery – and we can show leadership again today.” — Andy Burnham, thank prime minister

The Guardian

• “I do not think that British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, which happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part.” — Instead

The Guardian

• “We are pleased to hear that [the UK] comes into a conversation. But it can’t be a conversation about nothing. It has to be a conversation about something. If they are not going to entertain reparations, what is the conversation about? Nothing.” — Sir Hilary Beckles, the chair of the Caricom reparations commission

The Guardian

• “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

Andy Burnham ‘open’ to calls for formal British apology for slavery – but rules out reparations