# Downing Street denies Andy Burnham is poised for slave trade payouts

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/downing-street-denies-andy-burnham-is-poised-for-slave-trade-payouts/
- Published: 2026-11-02T12:20:36+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T14:04:57+00:00
- Original publisher: The Independent (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/slave-trade-reparations-andy-burnham-b3077389.html
- Topics: Business, Government, Markets, Politics

## Key points

- Downing Street denies Burnham is considering reparations payments.
- Starmer has said he is open to considering a formal apology.
- Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy is pressing for state accountability.

## Summary

Downing Street has denied reports that Andy Burnham is considering payments to Caribbean nations over Britain’s historic role in the slave trade. The dispute has intensified at the Commonwealth summit, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he is open to considering a formal apology.

Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind argues reparations are illogical, citing Britain’s later ban on the slave trade and the Royal Navy’s enforcement of it. Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy says the state should acknowledge its responsibility, noting that Britain compensated slave owners and taxpayers repaid that debt until 2015; she says openness to an apology is not a commitment.

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