Prime Minister Andy Burnham has denied that his openness to a formal apology for slavery made things more difficult for King Charles during the royal tour of the Caribbean. Speaking to ITV News at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Antigua, Mr Burnham responded to a question from royal editor Chris Ship about whether his announcement had complicated the King's visit.
Mr Burnham replied: "No, we're reaching out and listening, and the whole aim here is to, you know, come and listen to people and bring a new approach to the Commonwealth. So the aim has been to bring people together, and we think in the end that will be more positive."
Meeting at the Commonwealth Business Forum
The Prime Minister met King Charles in Antigua, where the royal was due to deliver the keynote address at the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Tuesday. The King began his nine-day tour of the Caribbean last week, with the visit set to conclude on Wednesday.
Mr Burnham has faced criticism after stating that he is open to "listening to calls for a formal apology" about slavery, while ruling out reparations. The pair arrived at the Commonwealth Business Forum, held at the Sticky Wicket, a bar and restaurant alongside a cricket ground.
Background on the Slavery Debate
The Royal Family has a long association with the transportation and selling of enslaved people for profit. Queen Elizabeth I backed the dealings of John Hawkins, one of Britain's first slave traders, and King Charles II encouraged the expansion of the enterprise. During the abolition campaign, the Duke of Clarence, who later became William IV, opposed the abolitionists.
Following Mr Burnham's change in position on a formal apology, some leaders of the 56 Commonwealth nations now want to shift the debate towards reparations from Britain. News24's host Samara Gill claimed that the UK was "broke" and "spiralling out of control", adding: "I hope he's not serious because the country is broke as you said. We've got interest on our debt costing us over £3,000 a second. We're spiraling out of control. It's looking like the IMF [International Monetary Fund] might have to bail us out at some point because of the economic decline that Britain has faced."
King's Acknowledgement of Past Suffering
As the King arrived in the Bahamas for the first day of his tour last Tuesday, he acknowledged "the great suffering" caused by Britain's historic role in the transatlantic slave trade. In a speech after his arrival, he reflected on colonial legacy issues, saying: "Some of what is best in Bohemian culture today, the most joyful, the most hopeful, the brightest - was born out of darkness. It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering of the past, in these islands and beyond, even as we rejoice in the successes of the present and build new opportunities for the future."
The King was joined by Queen Camilla for the second half of the tour, which is set to conclude on Wednesday.
