UK PM Burnham open to slavery apology but rules out reparations

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Saturday he is open to a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade but ruled out financial reparations, ahead of a Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Antigua that opens on 1 November 2026. Burnham said reparations were “not the right answer”.

What did Andy Burnham say about an apology?

In a piece for the Guardian, Burnham called the transatlantic slave trade a “brutal and barbaric violation” and said Britain must “face up to the past”. He wrote that British people today could not 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”.

Burnham said Commonwealth countries had for years asked for an “honest conversation” and that he wanted a “structured dialogue”. “Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of this process. I am open to them,” he wrote.

How have other UK party leaders responded?

Chancellor John Healey told the BBC that Burnham was “open to a discussion” about an apology, calling it “the right thing, particularly ahead of the Commonwealth heads conference”. Healey said a formal apology did not mean British people should “accept the financial liability” for events centuries ago.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said there was “no reason British taxpayers today should be held financially responsible for things that happened generations before any of us were born”. On X, she said Labour was “already spending too much on Britain’s welfare state”. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “I do think we have a duty there and saying sorry is always quite a good thing.”

Who welcomed the statement, and who did not?

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that her group welcomed the government’s acceptance of the role Britain played but that it had “fallen short of a formal state apology and that actually costs nothing”. “Acknowledgement is not the same as understanding,” she said.

Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill, said that to her knowledge no invoice for financial reparations had been given to the UK, and that a focus on money missed the point. Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who has sought reparations, welcomed Burnham’s statement and said she would engage in good faith. Denis O’Brien, founder of The Repair Campaign, said the statement did not go far enough and demanded “a full and formal apology now”.

What is the context of the Commonwealth meeting?

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting begins on 1 November in Antigua. King Charles III, who is due to address slavery at the Commonwealth summit in Antigua, opens the meeting as part of his regional tour. In the Bahamas he referred to the “suffering of the past”; in Guyana he visited the site of a rebellion of enslaved people against British authorities.

Downing Street believes strengthening the Commonwealth is in the UK’s interest as China and Russia seek influence; President Vladimir Putin hosted a Russia-Africa summit in Moscow this week.

Have previous UK prime ministers apologised?

The British government has never formally apologised for slavery or offered reparations. In 2007 Tony Blair called the UK’s role in the slave trade a matter of “deep sorrow and regret”. David Cameron ruled out reparations in 2015 and urged Caribbean countries to “move on” during a visit to Jamaica. Rishi Sunak said “no” to an apology in 2023, and Keir Starmer ruled out compensation in 2024.

Frequently asked questions

Is the UK going to apologise for slavery?

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is open to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state, but he has ruled out financial reparations, saying they are not the right answer.

When is the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua?

It starts on 1 November in Antigua and will be opened by King Charles III as part of his tour of the region.

Has a British prime minister ever apologised for the slave trade?

No British government has formally apologised or offered reparations. Tony Blair described the UK’s role as a matter of deep sorrow and regret in 2007, while David Cameron, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer all ruled out reparations.

Who is Bell Ribeiro-Addy?

Bell Ribeiro-Addy is the MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill and chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations, which said Burnham’s position fell short of a formal state apology.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)