UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he is open to calls for Britain to formally apologise for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.

But he is ruling out financial reparations.

Writing in The Guardian ahead of next week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, Burnham expresses his personal sorrow and regret for the suffering caused by slavery.

He calls it a brutal and barbaric violation of people who were treated as property and worked to their deaths.

The Prime Minister says he wants a structured dialogue with those affected and that listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will be an important part of that process.

However, he says he does not believe financial reparations are the right answer, arguing that British people today cannot be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous.

Instead, Burnham says the UK will push to ease the debt burden on developing countries, allowing them to repay over longer periods at better rates.

He says Britain will also support the transition to renewable energy, education for women and girls, and efforts to tackle poverty and inequality.

Burnham’s position follows that of his predecessors.

Earlier this week, his spokesman said Britain does not and will not pay reparations.

It comes as Caribbean leaders prepare to press the issue at the Commonwealth summit and as King Charles faces renewed calls for an apology and reparations during his tour of the region.

CARICOM has long called on Britain and other European states to pay reparations for slavery and its lasting effects on the region.