Andy Burnham is ‘open’ to apologising for the UK’s role in the slave trade.
The Prime Minister, who is preparing to fly to the Caribbean next week, has said he wants to offer a ‘structured dialogue’ for those affected by the transatlantic slave trade.
But he rejected any plans for financial reparations.
He wrote in The Guardian: ‘Having these difficult conversations to safeguard the Commonwealth for the future is the right thing to do. It is also the patriotic thing to do.
‘Not just because it is in our interests, but because the Britain I believe in is confident, decent and brave. We led the world in abolishing slavery — and we can show leadership again today.’
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Mr Burnham maintained that British people today should not be ordered to pay for what has happened in the past when they ‘played no personal part’.
King Charles has already begun his nine-day trip to the Caribbean ahead of the meeting with the Commonwealth heads of government in which he will preside.
The monarch acknowledged the ‘great suffering of the past’ in a speech at a youth rally while in the Bahamas.
He has also visited a parade ground where slaves were publicly executed.
President Ali of Guyana said the King’s apology will be ‘the next step’.
The prime miniser of the Bahamas Philip David also told Sky News reparations is ‘about acknowledgement’.
He said: ‘Whether I like to see him apologise, again, that’s a personal decision on his part after advice.
‘For me, repair and reparation is not absolutely money, simply, money. Some people think, I think, acknowledgement … which has been the first step, which we have now recognised. Acknowledgement, education, training, things of that nature.’
He even hinted that he would be open to removing the King as his country’s head of state.
‘That’s a question for my people,’ he said. He then added: ‘I’m open to it, yes.’
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