Prime Minister Andy Burnham forced a government jet to make a detour to Manchester to pick him up before flying to the Caribbean for the Commonwealth leaders' summit. The VIP Airbus A321 left London Stansted at about 6am with UK delegates, but instead of heading directly to St John's in Antigua, it travelled to Manchester to collect the Prime Minister.
The cost of the detour is estimated at about £20,000, based on the fact that a similar flight to Paris, about double the distance, cost £40,000. The Government will eventually publish details of how much the trip cost.
Weekly No 10 North commitment
Mr Burnham insists on spending at least one day every week at No 10 North, the office he has set up in Manchester. The Prime Minister is due to land in St John's later on Monday before attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
He has said he is open to calls for a formal British apology for its role in the slave trade. Mr Burnham expressed his "sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions", but, in keeping with his predecessors, rejected calls for financial compensation.
Slave trade apology debate
Writing in The Guardian, he said: "We are offering a structured dialogue with those affected by the transatlantic slave trade. Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of this process, and I am open to them."
By contrast, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has criticised demands for an apology. She said: "Slavery was an evil in which people from every continent and region participated. We should be honest about the whole history, not select the parts that are politically convenient today, especially given Britain's leading role in ending the transatlantic slave trade.
"If Caribbean countries are asking Britain for a formal apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade, will they also be asking the same of the descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who captured, sold and profited from the trade?"
She added: "As Prime Minister, Andy Burnham should be Britain's greatest defender. Instead, he is writing articles saying we need to confront our history (as if we haven't done enough of that) and considering another formal historical apology. Tony Blair already expressed Britain's deep sorrow and regret for our role in the slave trade nearly twenty years ago. There is no need to do so again."
King's summit address
The King arrived in the Caribbean nation on Friday before his Tuesday summit opening address, which will receive heightened interest after the Prime Minister's intervention. Charles, who as head of state is above party politics, is not expected to offer an apology or reference the change in government policy.
