King caught in political crossfire as Prime Minister accused of putting pressure on him

Kemi Badenoch has accused Prime Minister Andy Burnham of putting pressure on the King over the prospect of a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.

The Leader of the Opposition suggested the Prime Minister risked creating difficulties for the Sovereign by taking positions on an issue which His Majesty has not addressed in the same way.

Speaking to Sky News, Mrs Badenoch criticised Mr Burnham’s willingness to discuss a formal apology, arguing that the Prime Minister should be concentrating on Britain’s international relationships rather than apologies and reparations.

“I think that if he starts going into doing things which the Sovereign is not doing, I think that he could create pressure,” she said.

Her comments come as the King prepares to address the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade when he opens the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua next week.

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Charles will address the “most shameful aspects of the past” with “unflinching honesty”, while making clear that he will not comment on the UK Government’s policy.

Mr Burnham announced on Saturday that he was open to discussions about a formal apology from the British state for its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

The announcement marked a change in approach from previous prime ministers and has been welcomed by several Caribbean leaders, although disagreements remain over the question of financial reparations.

Mrs Badenoch questioned whether the Prime Minister’s intervention was appropriate ahead of the Commonwealth summit.

“I don’t think that this is what our Prime Minister should be doing at this Summit,” she said.

“I think he should be talking about how Commonwealth countries should be making themselves, you know, looking at shared interests, allies working together, security cooperation, economic partnerships, not apologies and reparations. We’ve had enough of that.”

The Conservative leader also criticised what she described as a pattern of Mr Burnham making comments without properly considering their implications.

She pointed to his remarks about the possibility of another Scottish independence referendum, national security and social security, and the prospect of the UK rejoining the European Union.

“He just keeps saying things off the top of his head,” she said.

Asked whether the King would be wrong to apologise if he decided to do so, Mrs Badenoch said the decision rested with His Majesty.

“The King is the Sovereign. He is the person who can make a call on that. I don’t think that he is doing that,” she said.

She added that she wanted the Prime Minister to concentrate on Britain’s defence and international standing.

“What I want to see is our Prime Minister actually talking about defending this country for once and being the Prime Minister, not the chief apologiser,” she said.

The interview also turned to the wider question of Britain’s relationship with its imperial past.

Mrs Badenoch argued that the debate was ultimately about how Britain defines itself, saying: “Well, this is about what Britain is and defining itself. So this is about the British Empire.”

The King’s forthcoming address will be one of the most closely watched moments of the Commonwealth summit.

His Majesty has already acknowledged the suffering endured by enslaved Africans during engagements in the Caribbean this week. During his visit to The Bahamas, he spoke of the “great suffering” experienced by those subjected to slavery.

A Palace spokesperson has stressed that the King will be speaking in his capacity as Head of the Commonwealth, rather than commenting on matters of UK Government policy.

The issue of an apology and reparations has long been raised by Caribbean and West African nations, many of which were formerly under British colonial rule.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has welcomed Mr Burnham’s openness to a formal apology, while Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne described the development as “significant and welcome”.

The Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Philip Davis, has also welcomed the change in approach but emphasised that differences remain over financial reparations.