‘Sorry, not sorry,’ Britain tells Commonwealth on slavery

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King Charles described the slave trade as “a shameful chapter in history” even as Prime Minister Andy Burnham continued to dismiss calls for compensation for the evil.

The king acknowledged that the transatlantic slave trade continued to “cast a shadow” over the Caribbean islands and the Commonwealth as a whole.

It was a “shameful chapter of history” that “fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow,” he told the assembled leaders in Antigua and Barbuda.

He said that slavery had been “the most monstrous injustice,” although he added cautiously that “history is not ours to choose or change” and did not neglect to recall the role played by the Royal Navy in the trade’s eventual suppression.

If the monarch’s heart was open, however, the government’s chequebook remained firmly closed.

Mr Burnham has ruled out paying reparations for the slave trade, despite demands from many Commonwealth leaders for recompense. 

Slave owners were lavishly compensated at the time of emancipation.

He was, however, expected to offer some debt relief and infrastructure investment for the Caribbean.

The words “sorry” and “apology” did not pass the royal lips, and Mr Burnham is expected to push for a “structured dialogue” with countries affected by the slave trade before agreeing formal wording of any apology.

“Britain is bringing a new approach to this meeting, as we look to reshape a new era for the Commonwealth, as well as being open to discussions about the past,” Mr Burnham said.

His official spokesman added: “We think it’s right that a formal apology is discussed properly with the countries and communities most affected, rather than simply deciding unilaterally what form it should take.

“An apology of this significance should be informed by the people and countries most affected, as they’ve asked for.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, representing a party which opposed the slave trade’s abolition at the time, was firmly in the unapologetic camp.

“I don’t think we should be giving any money to compensate people for the slave trade, and I don’t think that Andy Burnham needs to be apologising because it is a lever to wedge open the door to ask for cash,” she said.