Is Andy Burnham offering a UK apology for the transatlantic slave trade?

According to the BBC, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is open to the British state formally apologising for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, going further than any predecessor, a month after officials said there would be no apology. He ruled out financial reparations and offered a structured dialogue instead, as King Charles opened the 2026 Commonwealth summit in Antigua.

• Chancellor John Healey told the BBC that an apology would not mean accepting financial liability.
• Bert Samuels of Jamaica's National Reparations Commission said a statement of regret is not sufficient.
• Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy argued that reparatory justice can also mean education programmes and debt relief.

▸In their words

“You can refuse a cheque, but you can't essentially refuse the truth.” Bell Ribeiro-Addy · at 11:50 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-11-01). Read the whole episode summary →

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