Burnham offers talks on apology for Britain’s slave trade role

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has offered structured talks with communities affected by the transatlantic slave trade, saying the government will listen to calls for a formal apology while rejecting financial reparations. Burnham set out the proposal ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. He said the dialogue would address the legacy of slavery and that calls for an apology by the British state would form part of the process. He has not announced a decision to issue one. Burnham said he did not believe financial reparations were the right response and argued that people today should not be held liable for historical wrongs in which they played no personal part. He said he wanted to address current challenges facing Commonwealth countries, including debt burdens, and described working with wealthy nations and investors to help vulnerable countries repay debts over longer periods and at lower interest rates. He said former Prime Minister Gordon Brown would attend the meeting to advance that debt-relief initiative. The gathering brings together representatives of the Commonwealth’s 56 member states. King Charles III arrived in Antigua and...