Burnham 'open' to calls for slavery apology but rules out reparations
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham expressed openness to issuing a formal apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade but rejected financial reparations, stating they are "not the right answer."
- Burnham emphasized the need for a "structured dialogue" with those affected by the slave trade and acknowledged the trade as a "brutal and barbaric violation," urging Britain to "face up to the past."
- The comments come ahead of the Commonwealth leaders summit in the Caribbean, where Caribbean nations have renewed calls for an apology and reparations as King Charles III tours the region.
- While Burnham supports an apology, he maintains that current British citizens should not be held liable for historical wrongs committed under different laws and eras.
- Responses to Burnham's stance were mixed: Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley welcomed the willingness to engage, whereas reparations campaigners criticized the lack of a formal apology and financial commitments.
