UK PM willing to apologize for slave trade but rules out reparations

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is willing to issue a formal state apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade, but has ruled out paying financial reparations.

Labour leader Burnham made the remarks on Saturday ahead of departing for the Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda. Writing in The Guardian, he expressed sorrow and regret for the suffering endured by millions of people, calling the trade a cruel and barbaric violation of the rights of those who were enslaved.

He said the government wants structured dialogue with affected communities, and that listening to calls for a formal apology would be an important part of that. However, he said it would not be right to hold today's British citizens responsible for crimes committed in a different era under different laws, and that he does not consider reparations the correct solution.

King Charles III is currently on a Caribbean visit and will address the summit, which runs from November 1 to 4. During the first leg of the visit, the king acknowledged on Tuesday in the Bahamas that slavery was a profound pain of the past.

Britain has so far neither issued a formal apology for slavery nor agreed to pay reparations. The British Parliament passed a law abolishing slavery in 1833.