London rejects slavery reparations and proposes debt relief
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on ThisDay
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham rejects financial reparations linked to the transatlantic slave trade and proposes restructuring the debt of poor Commonwealth countries. The initiative is to be presented at the Commonwealth leaders’ summit in the Caribbean, according to The Guardian.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out financial reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and announced an initiative to restructure the debt of the Commonwealth’s poorest countries. He said he supported an official apology from the United Kingdom for its role in the trade, in an opinion article published in The Guardian.
The proposed scheme would allow the countries concerned to repay their loans over a longer period and at more favourable interest rates, Andy Burnham said. The prime minister believes that people in Britain today cannot be held responsible for historical acts committed under different laws and by people in which they had no personal involvement, according to The Guardian.
The remarks come ahead of the Commonwealth leaders’ summit due to take place next week in the Caribbean, where slavery and reparations are to be discussed. Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey said last week that an apology from King Charles III “would do no harm” and that a serious debate on reparations was now necessary, after the opening of the debate on a British apology for slavery announced on 31 October.
