Andy Burnham says Commonwealth slavery apology effort is about "reaching out and listening"

Prime Minister Andy Burnham rejected suggestions that his move to discuss a formal slavery apology had complicated King Charles’s position, speaking before their first meeting since Burnham made the gesture toward countries affected by colonial slavery. They met in Antigua at a Commonwealth Business Forum ahead of Tuesday’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where an apology and reparations are expected to be central. Asked by ITV whether he had made the King’s role harder, Burnham denied it and described his goal as a new Commonwealth approach. Opponents have criticized him, according to the report, for saying he was open to appeals for a formal apology while ruling out reparations. He did not answer whether the King should apologize personally for his ancestors. The report notes the royal family’s historical ties to the slave trade.