Burnham denies pressuring King over slavery apology talks offer
The Prime Minister rejects claims that his offer of structured dialogue on a slavery apology complicated the King's position ahead of the Commonwealth summit in Antigua.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has denied that his offer to hold talks on a formal apology for Britain's role in slavery placed King Charles under pressure ahead of the Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda. The two men met in Antigua on Monday evening, the day before the King is due to deliver the keynote address opening the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, known as Chogm.
Downing Street has said Burnham intends to ask countries affected by Britain's role in slavery to help shape an expected formal apology. No 10 indicated that the prime minister would use the summit to launch a «structured dialogue» on what form such an apology might take, arguing that the input of those nations is indispensable to crafting a message that will endure. The approach places affected Commonwealth governments at the centre of the process rather than leaving the wording to the Palace or to Westminster alone.
The prime minister was en route to Antigua and Barbuda when the plan was set out, and the summit itself begins on Tuesday. Coverage of the meeting has framed the King's speech as one that will be weighed and picked apart across the world, given the calls for an apology that have built up in recent months. Every phrase he uses on the opening day is therefore likely to be read as a signal on the monarchy's position toward the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.
Burnham's office has maintained that the offer of dialogue was made openly and was not designed to force the King into any position. Officials have presented the process as one led by affected countries, with Commonwealth governments given a direct role in defining the substance and form of any apology. The distinction matters to those who argue that a monarch speaking at a multilateral gathering should not be placed in the position of answering a demand from the government of the day.
Questions over how Britain should address its role in slavery have been raised repeatedly across the Caribbean and within the Commonwealth, where the legacy of the slave trade remains a central concern for many member states. The structured dialogue is intended to give those states a formal channel to shape the outcome. Whether the process produces an apology, and in what words, will depend on the discussions that follow the summit.
The Chogm meeting in Antigua and Barbuda will therefore be watched closely both for its immediate exchanges on the apology and for what it signals about the relationship between the British government, the monarchy and the Commonwealth members who will shape any final statement.
Source: independent.co.uk
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