Andy Burnham recently said that he believes there could be a form of apology for slavery.
Andy Burnham pictured with King Charles on Monday (Image: GETTY)
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has denied claims that his offer of an apology for slavery “made things difficult” for King Charles. The Prime Minister met King Charles in Antigua, where the royal will 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 been accused of putting the King under pressure after stating that he is open to “listening to calls for a formal apology” about slavery, but ruled out reparations. As the pair arrived at the Commonwealth Business Forum, which was held at the Sticky Wicket, a bar and restaurant alongside a cricket ground, Mr Burnham was asked by ITV News whether he had “made things more difficult” for the King.
Asked by ITV News’ royal editor Chris Ship, Mr Burnham faced the question: “Have you made things more difficult for the King with your announcement about an apology?”
To which he 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.”
Andy Burnham faced criticism over his comments (Image: GETTY)
The Royal Family has a long association with the transportation and selling of enslaved people for profit. Queen Elizabeth I backed the lucrative dealings of John Hawkins, who was one of Britain’s first slave traders, and King Charles II encouraged the expansion of the enterprise.
Following a flurry of positive sentiment from many Caribbean countries over the weekend in response to 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 for its past behaviour.
As the slavery abolitionists campaigned against the trade, they were opposed by the Duke of Clarence, who later became William IV. Following Mr Burnham’s comments, News24’s host Samara Gill claimed that the UK was “broke” and “spiralling out of control”.
She added: “I hope he’s not serious because the country is broke as you said,” she told host James Macpherson. We’ve got interest on our debt costing us over £3,000 a second. We’re spiraling out of control.
The King was joined by Queen Camilla for the second half of the tour (Image: GETTY)
“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.”
As the King arrived in the Bahamas for the first day of his tour last Tuesday, he took time to acknowledge “the great suffering” caused by Britain’s historic role in the transatlantic slave trade. During a speech after his arrival, the King reflected on colonial legacy issues.
He said: “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 a few days into the tour.