Andy Burnham says "sorrow and regret" over Atlantic slave trade's pain and legacy

Before a Commonwealth leaders’ meeting in Antigua and Barbuda and during King Charles III’s tour of three Caribbean countries, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham wrote in The Guardian that he was open to an official state apology for Britain’s role in the Atlantic slave trade but opposed financial reparations. He voiced remorse over slavery’s human cost and continuing legacy, argued that current Britons should not be liable for earlier historical wrongs, and proposed structured talks with affected communities, including hearing calls for an apology. Denis O’Brien, founder of The Repair Campaign, which seeks reparations, criticized the article as disappointing and said it would not end demands for a full apology. The report noted that Britain has never formally apologized for slavery or agreed to pay reparations, and that Charles acknowledged past suffering in the Bahamas.