Funk Butcher

EXCL: Andy Burnham has gone further than any previous prime minister towards offering a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade ahead of a Commonwealth leaders’ summit. As he prepares to fly to the Caribbean next week, the PM said he was open to calls for an official apology on behalf of the UK and offered formal talks to those affected, including individual countries and campaign groups. Burnham gave what amounted to a personal apology, saying he wanted to share his “sorrow and regret” for the pain and suffering of millions of people, and to recognise the way the slave trade still shapes the world now. But he rejected demands for the UK to pay financial reparations for its role, maintaining the position of successive governments that British people today could not be held liable for the past, however heinous. Instead, Burnham will launch a new drive to restructure debt for the poorest Commonwealth countries – led by former PM Gordon Brown and expected to eventually include organisations like the IMF – helping them repay debt over a longer period and on better rates. theguardian.com/world/2026/o…