British people don’t need to apologise for slavery – but the government does | Olivette Otele
King Charles is expected to speak with “unflinching honesty” and “sincere sorrow” about the UK’s role in the transatlantic slave trade at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Antigua and Barbuda today.
Key points
- Because when it comes to Britain’s role in the transatlantic trade, the collective amnesia is stunning Departing from his predecessors’ stances, the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, surprised us all when he stated he was open to listening to calls for an apology for the UK’s role in centuries of transatlantic enslavement.
- Burnham was quick to add that financial reparations were off the table.
But he was in favour of discussions about debt restructuring – one of the key concerns of the Caribbean community (Caricom) and the African Union.
The opposition, led by Kemi Badenoch, argued that apologies were a distraction.
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