Burnham says UK may apologise for slave trade but will not pay reparations

Andy Burnham told the Guardian he is “open” to the United Kingdom issuing a formal apology for its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, but he ruled out any financial reparations.

He framed the apology as a way to “express my sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions and to recognise the way it still shapes our world today.”

Burnham also emphasized that “British people today cannot be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws.”

The remarks were made days before he attends a Commonwealth leaders summit in Antigua and Barbuda, coinciding with King Charles III’s Caribbean tour.