Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that he is open to considering a formal UK apology for the historic transatlantic slave trade, though he firmly ruled out any financial reparations. The British government has never formally apologised for slavery or offered to pay reparations. According to a government source, This was “morally the right thing to do”.
Speaking ahead of the Commonwealth leaders summit in the Caribbean, Burnham noted that he wanted a structured dialogue with those affected and described the slave trade as a brutal and barbaric violation that requires Britain to face up to the past. According to he, Commonwealth countries had for years been asking for an “honest conversation”. Only this week, President Vladimir Putin hosted a Russia-Africa summit in Moscow.
The announcement coincided with King Charles III touring the region, which included stops in the Bahamas where the monarch referenced the suffering of the past and a visit to a historical slave rebellion site in Guyana. The King made reference to the “suffering of the past”, during the first leg of his tour in the Bahamas.
Burnham maintained the policy position of his predecessors by rejecting financial restitution, arguing that modern British citizens cannot be held personally liable for historical wrongs from a different age. However heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part,” Burnham wrote in a piece for the Guardian, external, i do not think that British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs.
The stance drew mixed reactions from advocacy groups and political figures.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations, welcomed the acknowledgment of state responsibility but argued that falling short of a formal apology costs nothing and leaves nations on unequal footing. With its chair Bell Ribeiro-Adday telling Radio 4’s Today programme the issue was not just about money, the statement was welcomed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Afrikan Reparations. Acknowledgment is not the same as understanding,” she told Today, adding: “Until we apologise, we are never going to be on equal footing⦠it’s meant to be a family of nations – a Commonwealth – and it’s simply not the case.
Ribeiro-Addy noted that focusing strictly on financial demands can be problematic and miss the core issue of reparative justice. Meanwhile, Denis O’Brien, founder of The Repair Campaign, called the statement disappointing and urged the government to issue a full and formal apology immediately as a symbolic step. According to the MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill, That, to her knowledge, an invoice for financial reparations has not been given to the UK, and so discussing “reparative justice” on those ends, was missing the point.
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley welcomed the statement, indicating she would engage in good faith while continuing to pursue reparatory justice. Downing Street maintains that strengthening the Commonwealth remains vital amid geopolitical influence efforts from other global powers. In a world where China and Russia are seeking to exert influence, downing Street believes it is in the UK’s interest to strengthen the Commonwealth.
Historically, English authorities and the monarchy were major participants in the slave trade starting from the 16th century, before Parliament passed legislation to abolish slavery in 1833. Compensation paid to slave owners at the time created a national debt that the UK finished paying off in 2015. Through Parliament’s passage of a law to abolish slavery in 1833, britain had a key role in ending the trade. The UK only finished paying off the debt it incurred to cover the payments in 2015.
