# British people don’t need to apologise for slavery – but the government does | Olivette Otele

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/british-people-dont-need-to-apologise-for-slavery-but-the-government-does-olivette-otele/
- Published: 2026-11-03T13:52:30+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T23:06:08+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/03/british-people-slavery-governmment-andy-burnham-transatlantic-trade
- Topics: Government, Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- Burnham is open to discussing an apology for Britain’s role in slavery.
- Financial reparations are ruled out, but debt restructuring is under discussion.
- Otele argues repair can include cultural returns and action on inequality.

## Summary

Andy Burnham has said he is open to hearing calls for the UK to apologise for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, while ruling out financial reparations. Olivette Otele argues that the debate matters because Britain’s difficulty in confronting the harm and continuing effects of slavery risks damaging relationships with Caribbean and other Commonwealth countries.

King Charles is expected to express sorrow at a Commonwealth meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. The Commonwealth comprises 56 countries and more than 2.7 billion people; Burnham has also pledged £40m for Caribbean projects. Otele says reparatory justice could include returning cultural artefacts, reviewing museum laws, and addressing education, climate justice and health inequality, as well as recognising how more than 300 years of enslavement helped shape British institutions.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.