Andy Burnham 'open' to calls for formal apology for Britain’s role in slave trade

Andy Burnham 'open' to calls for formal apology for Britain’s role in slave trade Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is "open" to calls for Britain to formally apologise for its role in the slave trade, but ruled out considering financial reparations Andy Burnham has said he is "open" to calls for Britain to formally apologise for its role in the slave trade, but ruled out considering financial reparations. The Prime Minister, who is due to attend the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in the Caribbean next week, voiced his personal "sorrow and regret" over the suffering inflicted by the transatlantic slave trade, pledging to offer a "structured dialogue" with those affected. Writing in The Guardian, he said: "Having these difficult conversations to safeguard the Commonwealth for the future is the right thing to do. It is also the patriotic thing to do. "Not just because it is in our interests, but because the Britain I believe in is confident, decent and brave. We led the world in abolishing slavery – and we can show leadership again today." He described the trade as a "brutal and barbaric violation" of people "treated as property and worked to their deaths". "I want 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," he wrote. Caribbean nations have renewed their demands for Britain to apologise for its role in trading enslaved people for profit, as well as calls for reparations, as the King toured the region. The Prime Minister said: "We are offering a structured dialogue with those affected by the transatlantic slave trade. Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of this process and I am open to them." In line with the stance taken by his predecessors, he stopped well short of entertaining any notion of reparation payments. "Some have called for financial reparations for the slave trade. I do not believe that is the right answer. "I do not think that British people today can 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." Instead, he outlined plans to launch an initiative targeting debt-servicing, aimed at helping nations repay their debts over a longer period at more favourable rates. Chancellor John Healey, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and former prime minister Gordon Brown will join him at the summit to help with this work, he said. He added that the UK will also back countries in their shift towards renewable energy, champion smaller nations on the world stage, and support efforts to educate women and girls while tackling poverty and inequality.