UK agrees to structured talks on slavery apology with Commonwealth nations

The UK government has agreed to hold formal talks with Commonwealth countries about apologising for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. The talks will be structured and time-limited, and will include Caribbean and African nations most affected by slavery. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the discussions could finish within a year. The UK may issue a formal apology before it hosts the G20 summit in Manchester in November. Britain transported around 3.2 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic between the 15th and 19th centuries. The government has ruled out paying financial reparations. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Britain should take responsibility for this history. The talks will focus on what the government calls the "historical harms" caused by the slave trade.