Andy Burnham has said he is "open" to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state for the transatlantic slave trade, but has ruled out paying financial reparations.
The Prime Minister set out the position in an article for the Guardian published on Friday evening, days before he is due to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. He expressed his "sorrow and regret" for the trade and offered a "structured dialogue" with the countries affected by it.
The British government has never formally apologised for slavery or agreed to pay reparations, despite repeated demands from Commonwealth leaders. Burnham's willingness to consider an apology departs from the stance of his predecessors, who rejected both. On reparations he has kept their line.
"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," he wrote.
He added: "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".
On compensation, Burnham wrote: "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 reparations were not "the right answer".
He argued that the Commonwealth had suffered from Britain's refusal to engage. "By sticking our heads in the sand, we have damaged the ability of the Commonwealth to function," he wrote.
Reuters reported that the article also proposed a "new drive on debt", including helping vulnerable countries "repay over a longer time period and with better rates". A government source told the BBC the intervention was "morally the right thing to do".
Caribbean governments welcomed the move while insisting their demand for reparatory justice stands. Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, wrote on X: "Barbados welcomes the UK Prime Minister's acknowledgement of the brutality of the transatlantic slave trade, his openness to a formal apology and his offer of structured dialogue."
She said differences over reparations "should not prevent progress on health, education, tackling poverty and inequality, and fairer debt terms for vulnerable states".
Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, which is hosting the summit, called Burnham's comments a "significant and welcome development" in a post on Facebook. He added: "The Caribbean's longstanding position on reparatory justice remains unchanged."
A Caricom statement issued in the name of its chair, Philip J. Pierre, the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, said: "An apology is an essential first step, and we would receive a formal apology from the British state as a moment of historic importance."
Campaigners said the article did not go far enough. Denis O'Brien, the founder of The Repair Campaign, said: "The British Government must stop obfuscating and give a full and formal apology now." AFP reported that he described the article as "disappointing".
At home, the Prime Minister faced criticism from the right. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, called the intervention a "navel-gazing distraction" and said: "Tony Blair already expressed Britain's deep sorrow and regret for our role in the slave trade nearly 20 years ago. There is no need to do so again."
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, accused Burnham of "peddling grievance politics" and said Britain had "already paid the price for its role in the slave trade".
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former Leader of the House of Commons, told the Express: "An apology is the first step to reparations and there is no reason for one." He said the comments were "especially unwelcome while the King is picking his way with great diplomatic skill through a difficult foreign trip".
The King, 77, is midway through a nine-day visit to three Caribbean countries. Reuters reported that he said during the tour it was "only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past".
Downing Street has not set out how the proposed dialogue would work, who would take part or who would decide on an apology. The Caricom statement said the Commonwealth summit opens on Sunday.
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