British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said his government is open to formally apologizing for Britain's role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade but ruled out financial reparations, ahead of a Commonwealth summit where Caribbean and African leaders are expected to renew demands for historical justice.
In an article published Saturday in The Guardian, Burnham said Britain was prepared to begin a structured dialogue with countries and communities affected by slavery, acknowledging that its failure to confront the past had damaged relations within the Commonwealth.
"For years, those members of the Commonwealth affected by the slave trade have asked for an honest conversation about the legacies of slavery," he wrote. "By sticking our heads in the sand, we have damaged the ability of the Commonwealth to function."
Burnham said listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state would be an important part of the proposed discussions, adding that he was open to such a step.
"The trans-Atlantic slave trade was a brutal and barbaric violation of those people," he said, expressing sorrow and regret for the suffering of millions of enslaved Africans and acknowledging the lasting impact of slavery on the modern world.
However, the prime minister firmly rejected demands for Britain to pay reparations, arguing that people living in the country today should not be held financially responsible for historical crimes in which they had no personal involvement.
"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 wrote.
His position sets the stage for potentially difficult discussions at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, scheduled for Nov. 1-4 in Antigua and Barbuda, where reparations are expected to feature prominently.
The trans-Atlantic slave trade saw at least 12.5 million Africans abducted and transported across the ocean between the 15th and 19th centuries, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. Britain transported an estimated 3.2 million of them, building considerable wealth through the forced labor of enslaved people in its colonies.
Britain passed legislation abolishing the slave trade in 1807 before outlawing slavery throughout most of its empire in 1833. Successive governments have traditionally emphasized the country's role in ending the trade, while avoiding a formal acknowledgment of its responsibility for the suffering and wealth generated by slavery.
Burnham said Britain needed to recognize both sides of that history, arguing that acknowledging its participation was essential to rebuilding trust with Commonwealth members.
The issue has gained renewed attention during King Charles III's Caribbean tour, which precedes the summit. The monarch has faced calls for Britain to apologize and pay reparations for its colonial past.
Speaking in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, on Tuesday, Charles acknowledged "the great suffering and injustices of the past," but stopped short of issuing an apology. As a constitutional monarch, he speaks on behalf of the elected government and has traditionally been bound by its position on the issue.
The king is due to address Commonwealth leaders during the meeting in St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda.
Caribbean nations have increasingly framed reparatory justice as a broader effort to address the lasting economic and social consequences of slavery. Their demands include debt relief, development financing, investment in education and health care, and assistance with climate resilience.
Burnham sought to redirect part of the discussion toward those present-day challenges, proposing a new debt-relief initiative to help vulnerable developing countries repay loans over longer periods and at lower interest rates.
He said he would work with other wealthy nations and investors to advance the proposal, with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a longtime advocate of debt relief for developing countries, expected to attend the Commonwealth gathering.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne welcomed Burnham's willingness to consider an apology and his proposals for practical assistance. However, he made clear that the Caribbean's position on reparations had not changed.
"The Caribbean's longstanding position on reparatory justice remains unchanged," Browne wrote in a Facebook post.
Burnham's remarks also come amid growing pressure within Britain to confront its colonial legacy. In 2020, protesters in Bristol pulled down a statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century merchant and politician who played a prominent role in the Royal African Company, which transported thousands of enslaved Africans to English colonies in the Americas.
The incident intensified debate over how Britain commemorates figures who accumulated wealth through slavery.
Some institutions and families connected to the trade have already acknowledged their historical involvement and offered apologies or compensation. The Guardian's owner, for example, has previously apologized for the newspaper's historical links to slavery.
