British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was open to calls for Britain to issue a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. However, he rejected demands for financial reparations and proposed structured talks with countries and organizations affected by slavery.
“Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will be an important part of that process and I am open to them“, Burnham wrote in an article for “The Guardian“. He expressed his personal “grief and regret“ for the pain and suffering of millions of people and described the transatlantic slave trade as a “brutal and barbaric assault“.
However, the prime minister said that financial reparations were not the right answer. “I do not think that the British today can be held responsible for historical injustices, however grave, that happened in another era, under different laws and in which they were not personally involved“, he pointed out.
London offers talks and debt initiative
According to data cited by Reuters, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and sold into slavery. British traders transported about 3.2 million enslaved people across the Atlantic. The slave trade was banned by Britain in 1807, and slavery in the British Empire was abolished in 1833.
Instead of financial compensation, Burnham intends to launch an initiative to restructure the debts of the poorest countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. The proposal provides for longer repayment periods and better interest rates. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown will also participate in the work, and in the future, talks are expected to include international financial institutions.
According to the “Guardian“, over 40% of the poorest and most vulnerable countries of the Commonwealth spend more money on interest payments than on health care. Burnham said Britain would also support the transition to renewable energy, education for women and girls, and efforts to combat poverty and inequality.
Caribbean countries demand reparations
The issue will be at the center of the meeting of Commonwealth leaders, which will be held from November 1 to 4 in Antigua and Barbuda. The forum will also be attended by King Charles III, who during his tour of the Caribbean acknowledged the “great suffering and injustices of the past“, but did not issue a formal apology.
The prime ministers of Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda welcomed Burnham's readiness for dialogue, but stressed that positions on financial reparations remain different. The chair of the CARICOM Reparations Committee, Hilary Beckles, said the conversation could cover broader issues and that the demand for financial reparations should not block progress.
Caribbean countries are insisting that reparations should include not only monetary payments but also a formal apology, support for health and education, debt relief and funding to address climate risks.
Sources: reuters.com, theguardian.com, apnews.com