Burnham ‘open’ to UK slavery apology, but not reparations: Why now?
The UK PM's statement comes as Commonwealth nations meet in Antigua and Barbuda.
The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said his country is open to apologising for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade but ruled out reparations, which campaigners have for years called for.
Burnham wrote in an opinion article in The Guardian on Friday that Britain would also work on debt restructuring for the poorest countries, marking an historic turn in London’s stance.
The move comes ahead of a four-day summit starting Sunday of the 50-plus Commonwealth nations formerly colonised by Britain. The UK’s King Charles, who arrived in the Caribbean last week, is hosting the leaders in St John’s, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda.
They also point to the loss of lives, the erasure of cultures, the looting of artefacts in the colonial era that followed, and ongoing economic disparities and development challenges that see those nations struggle to access international financial institutions.