Charles III on Tuesday expressed his “horror” at slavery, which he described as a “monstrous injustice”, as he opened the summit of leaders of Commonwealth countries, some of whom are demanding an official apology for the United Kingdom's role in the transatlantic slave trade.
“This shameful chapter in history fills my heart with horror and my soul with the deepest sadness,” declared the British sovereign and head of the Commonwealth, adding that he wanted to “work to correct the mistakes of the past by acting for the future”.
“We cannot change the actions of those who came before us. We can, however, learn from it,” he said, acknowledging that the transatlantic slave trade “still casts its shadow over these islands and other members of the Commonwealth.” The sovereign is on a nine-day tour of the Caribbean which also took him to Guyana, a trip during which he recognized “the great suffering of the past” in these territories.
But political action from the United Kingdom can only come from the government, Buckingham Palace stressed, recalling the constitutional position of neutrality of the sovereign both in the United Kingdom and at the head of the Commonwealth. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who arrived in July, seems ready to move in this direction, and has announced in recent days that he wants to open a “structured dialogue” with the Commonwealth countries, with the aim of leading to the expression of an official apology.
He is scheduled to speak around 5:30 p.m. GMT on Tuesday at the leaders' summit in St. John's. The Labor head of government, however, ruled out the prospect of financial reparations as requested by several leaders of this organization made up of 56 countries, mainly former British colonies. He plans to assert in his speech that the United Kingdom intends to “shape a new era for the Commonwealth, while remaining open to discussions about the past”, according to a statement from Downing Street.
Andy Burnham discussed this proposal for dialogue and the “next steps” with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, during a bilateral meeting on Tuesday, according to a report from Downing Street, which specifies that the leader gave her “support” to this approach. “No British Prime Minister has ever gone this far before,” also greeted Philip Pierre, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and president of Caricom, an organization bringing together Caribbean countries, over the weekend, adding that the organization is ready to “engage” in this dialogue.
“We would receive a formal apology from the British state as a moment of historical significance. But an apology without reparation is incomplete,” he added. In a column published on Saturday in the Guardian, Andy Burnham called for “facing the past” but closed the door to financial compensation. “I do not think that the British today can be held responsible for historical wrongs, however heinous, which occurred at a different time, under different laws, and in which they were not personally involved,” he stressed.
“Restorative justice has never been about individual guilt. It concerns the responsibility of States and institutions - and this responsibility does not expire with the passage of generations,” insisted Philip Pierre. On the financial level, the Labor leader proposes to work on restructuring the debt of the poorest countries of the Commonwealth, which are suffering from the current rise in interest rates. And he calls on private creditors and donors outside the G7 countries to contribute to this effort. The United Kingdom will also chair two working groups to boost trade within the Commonwealth and secure the supply of critical minerals. And London plans to mobilize 40 million pounds (48 million euros) for infrastructure projects in the Caribbean, Downing Street announced.
