UK Prime Minister: Open to Offering Formal Apology for Slave Trade

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he is open to calls for a formal apology for Britain’s historical role in the slave trade ahead of his participation in this week’s Commonwealth summit, where he is likely to face demands for financial compensation.

In an article in The Guardian, Burnham wrote that Britain “will facilitate an organized dialogue with those affected by the transatlantic slave trade,” during which at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and sold into slavery.

He added, “Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will be an important part of this process, and I am open to it.”

However, Burnham rejected calls for financial compensation, writing, “I believe that the British people today should not be held responsible for historical wrongs, however grave, which occurred in a different era and under different laws, and in which they had no personal involvement.”

According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, millions of Africans were sold into slavery by European traders between the 15th and 19th centuries, with Britain transporting an estimated 3.2 million people across the Atlantic.

Ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda this week, King Charles, who is on a tour of the Caribbean region, said it is “right to acknowledge the great suffering and injustices that occurred in the past.”

Caribbean leaders are expected to push for compensation claims, often framed in terms of debt relief, development financing, education, healthcare, and strengthening capacity to address climate change.