LONDON — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that he is open to a formal apology for his country’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, but ruled out financial reparations as King Charles III continued his tour of the Caribbean.Burnham’s comments show a marked shift in stance for the U.K., which has consistently rejected demands for either an apology or reparations.They came as he is due to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda next week.Charles, as head of the “family of nations,” will preside over the event.“We are offering a structured dialogue with those affected by the transatlantic slave trade,” Burnham wrote in an op-ed in The Guardian newspaper in an article published Friday.
“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.” But Burnham ruled out financial reparations, saying the British people of today who “played no personal part” in the slave trade could not be held liable.The transatlantic trade in enslaved people was central to European colonialism and the growth of the British Empire, as millions of Africans were trafficked to the Americas to grow and harvest cash crops, while being subjected to violence, torture, sexual abuse and the denial of basic human rights.Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, said on X that he welcomed the prime minister’s openness to a formal apology.
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