The topic has loomed large over the King’s ongoing visit to the Caribbean, where he said it was “only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past.”
As head of state, King Charles is above party politics and is not expected to apologise or refer to the change in Government policy when he opens a summit tomorrow.
Mr Burnham expressed his £sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions”, but, as previous governments have, rejected calls for financial compensation.
He wrote in The Guardian: “We are offering a structured dialogue with those affected by the transatlantic slave trade.
“Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of this process and I am open to them.”
Ruling out considering reparations, Mr Burnham wrote: “I do not think that British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part.”