Burnham opens door to formal apology for Britain’s slave trade

UK Prime Minister rules out financial reparations, despite longstanding Caribbean demands.

Al JazeeraAl Jazeera Staff2026-10-31 13:19查看原文 ↗

The prime minister has ruled out financial reparations despite longstanding Caribbean demands ahead of Commonwealth leaders’ summit.

Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham at a National Economic Council meeting [File: Russell Cheyne/Reuters]

Britain’s prime minister has opened the door to a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, while ruling out financial reparations.

Andy Burnham set out his position in a Guardian article on Friday, ahead of a Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Antigua and Barbuda on Sunday.

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The Commonwealth comprises 56 countries, mostly former British colonies, whose Caribbean members have long pressed Britain to acknowledge slavery’s legacy and offer redress.

Burnham offered structured talks with countries and campaign groups affected by slavery, including discussions on whether Britain should issue an official state apology.

“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,” Burnham wrote.

He expressed “sorrow and regret” for the suffering of millions of enslaved people, but rejected calls for financial compensation.

“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,” he said.

The stance maintains the position of previous British governments, despite his willingness to discuss an apology.

Instead, he proposed an international effort to ease the debt burden on poorer nations by extending repayment periods and cutting interest rates.

Burnham also said that former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will assist with the initiative, adding that more than 40 percent of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries spend more on debt interest than on healthcare.

Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley welcomed the opening for talks but reiterated her government’s position on reparations.

In a statement reported by the Guardian on Saturday, she said cooperation could also cover healthcare, education, development and fairer borrowing terms.

Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who is hosting the summit, welcomed the debt initiative and promises of cooperation on renewable energy.

CARICOM, the regional bloc of Caribbean countries, has drawn up a 10-point plan for reparations.

Its demands go beyond payments to include an apology, support for health and education, as well as measures to address the economic and social damage left by slavery.

The dispute surfaced at the last Commonwealth summit in Samoa in 2024, when leaders called for discussions about reparations, despite opposition from then Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

King Charles III will also attend the summit . However, Buckingham Palace has said he will not issue a formal apology for slavery during his trip, despite calls from countries in the region.

在英联邦领导人峰会召开前夕，尽管加勒比地区长期以来一直要求进行财政赔偿，但总理已排除这种可能性。

英国首相安迪·伯纳姆在国家经济委员会会议上 [图片：Russell Cheyne/路透社]

英国首相表示，英国有可能就其在跨大西洋奴隶贸易中所扮演的角色正式道歉，但排除了经济赔偿的可能性。

在周日于安提瓜和巴布达举行的英联邦领导人峰会之前，安迪·伯纳姆于周五在《卫报》上发表了一篇文章，阐述了他的立场。

（共2条）查尔斯国王访问加勒比海，要求对奴隶制进行赔偿的呼声日益高涨

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英联邦由 56 个国家组成，其中大部分是英国的前殖民地，其加勒比成员国长期以来一直敦促英国承认奴隶制的遗留问题并提供补偿。

伯纳姆提议与受奴隶制影响的国家和运动团体进行结构化会谈，包括讨论英国是否应该发表正式的国家道歉。

伯纳姆写道：“听取各方要求英国政府正式道歉的呼声，将是这一进程的重要组成部分，我对此持开放态度。”

他对数百万奴隶遭受的苦难表示“悲痛和遗憾”，但拒绝了要求经济赔偿的呼吁。

他说：“我不认为今天的英国人应该为历史上发生的错误承担责任，无论这些错误多么令人发指，因为那是在不同的时代、不同的法律下发生的，而且他们本人并没有参与其中。”

尽管他愿意讨论道歉事宜，但这一立场与英国以往政府的立场一致。