Chancellor John Healey said the UK could discuss an apology for its historic role in the slave trade but that this would not lead to financial reparations, arguing that current British people should not accept liability for wrongs committed hundreds of years ago. In an interview, Healey said the prime minister was open to “a discussion about an apology” but “he doesn’t believe that reparations are the right approach”. He said considering a formal apology did not mean British people today should accept financial liability for events in which they had no role.
For almost 250 years, from the 1560s to 1807, British ships trafficked more than three million enslaved African men, women and children under a state policy backed by the monarchy and parliament. Many were taken to British-owned plantations in the Caribbean, which enslaved generations. There were still 800,000 enslaved people on British plantations when parliament abolished enslavement in 1833. The government compensated the enslavers with an enormous sum, equivalent to billions of dollars today, funded by a huge loan that was only paid off in 2015. Britain has never paid compensation or reparations to the people who were enslaved or their countries. Successive British governments have refused to do so, arguing there is no duty because enslavement and the slave trade were not against the law at the time; the Burnham government argues that British people today should not be saddled with past wrongdoings.
Ahead of a meeting with Commonwealth leaders, Andy Burnham wrote that Britain needed to “acknowledge its complicated history” and said the UK could be open to issuing a formal apology, a move going further than previous British governments. He and King Charles are due to meet heads of state at a Commonwealth leaders’ meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, where accountability is a top issue. Caribbean countries have been pushing for Britain to apologise for the slave trade and engage in reparatory justice discussions. Their leaders have largely welcomed Burnham’s apology announcement as an important first step but disagree on the lack of reparations. King Charles faced demonstrations in Guyana last week, and protests are expected during the summit. He is expected to deliver three significant speeches but will follow government advice not to issue a formal apology; the British government has also ruled out paying reparations. Lib Dems’ Ed Davey said it is time Britain had a discussion about its slave-trading past but also said reparations are not the right approach. Burnham has suggested that instead of reparations, the UK should lead the way in helping restructure debt for poorer countries affected by the British slave trade.
Professor Verene Shepherd, vice-chair of the Caribbean Reparations Commission, described Burnham’s announcement as “good news” but rejected the suggestion that Britain today cannot be held liable for reparations. She said only a full and formal apology can allow for healing, adding that a full apology accepts responsibility, commits to non-repetition and pledges to repair the harm caused. Shepherd said descendants of enslaved people wanted a conversation on actual reparations, not debt restructuring but debt cancellation rooted in the lingering legacies of colonialism. James Knight of Citizens for Reparatory Justice, which is organising some of the demonstrations, said the king and UK government had made protest necessary and called the announcement of no apology and no reparations ahead of the meeting “extremely insulting [and] insensitive”. Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali welcomed Burnham’s statement and called for a Commonwealth subcommittee to work out the details of the dialogue. He said a mature conversation was needed and that indignity cannot be paid for, but that a formula and system of support could be identified so the UK government and its financial institutions work with countries on a development pathway and identify gaps in health, education, social services, infrastructure and climate adaptation. Ali said he wanted Commonwealth leaders to establish a subcommittee within the next six to 12 months to work with the British government on identifying and costing development gaps resulting from slavery.
Sources: The Guardian Politics.