Web Desk(National Times)- Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Saturday he was \u201copen\u201d to the UK issuing a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, but ruled out financial reparations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Labour leader made the remarks days before attending a Commonwealth leaders summit in Antigua and Barbuda, as King Charles III tours the Caribbean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d Burnam wrote in The Guardian newspaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The transatlantic slave trade was a \u201cbrutal and barbaric violation\u201d of the rights of those enslaved, he said, adding that his government wanted a \u201cstructured dialogue with those affected\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cListening 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The king is due to address the Commonwealth summit, which runs from November 1 to 4. Britain\u2019s central role in slavery and the treatment of people in its former colonies has loomed over the 77-year-old monarch\u2019s Caribbean tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Bahamas on Tuesday, Charles acknowledged \u201cthe great suffering of the past\u201d during the first leg of his visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UK has never formally apologised for slavery nor or agreed to pay reparations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Burnham again rejected financial compensation, writing: \u201cI do not believe that is the right answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britain profited for centuries from colonialism and the slave trade. In 1833, parliament passed a law to abolish slavery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Web Desk(National Times)- Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Saturday he was \u201copen\u201d to the UK issuing a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, but ruled out financial reparations. The Labour leader made the remarks days before attending a Commonwealth leaders summit in Antigua and Barbuda, as King Charles III tours the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n