The key facts

  • Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was open to discussing a formal UK apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade
  • Premier Andy Burnham said he was open to discussing an official UK apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade
  • Sunday papers linked this to pressure on King Charles III during his visit to the Caribbean
  • Sunday newspapers linked this to pressure on King Charles III during his visit to the Caribbean
  • The Sunday Telegraph writes about a £49bn 'black hole' in Chancellor John Healey's finances

Slavery apology and the King's tour

The central theme of the British Sunday papers is Prime Minister Andy Burnham's statement that he is open to discussing a formal UK apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. The round-up of headlines is published by BBC News. The Sunday Express leads with the headline 'PM lets down the King over slavery apology' and writes that Burnham has been accused of an 'irresponsible' blunder — just as King Charles III is visiting the Caribbean. The Mail, in a leader column, links Burnham's 'pledge' to a 'new reparations row' for the King and claims the prime minister's comments have 'thrown into confusion' the Caribbean tour. The Sunday People writes that Charles is 'under pressure' and facing growing demands to apologise, while the Sunday Mirror puts the headline 'Pressure on Charles over slavery row' on its front page. At the same time, the Sunday Telegraph reports that the King is 'holding his position' on expressing 'sorrow' for the slave trade, and the Sunday Times — that he will follow Burnham's example and address the subject 'with sincere sorrow'. The papers thus differ in their assessment: some see the prime minister's stance as a blunder complicating the monarch's visit, others as a move towards a shared formulation of regret.

Other stories on the front pages: the Budget, the EU, football and ChatGPT

Alongside the slavery story, the Sunday Telegraph puts on its front page a '£49bn black hole' in Chancellor John Healey's finances, and the Sunday Times a statement by former Chancellor Rachel Reeves that 'Britain's future lies inside the EU'. The Independent publishes its own poll showing that, after Burnham 'opened the door' to revisiting Brexit, the number of supporters of returning to the EU has grown. Outside politics: the Daily Star writes that Jamie Carragher apologised for 'clumsy wording' after a threat of legal action from the owners — he had suggested Unai Emery could move to 'Manchester United' if Michael Carrick were sacked. The Sun on Sunday reports that Celebrity Traitors star Kenny (YouTuber King Kenny) spent two secret nights in Maya Jama's £1.5m London flat and was seen leaving her home on Friday. The Observer publishes the piece 'If it weren't for ChatGPT, my brother would still be alive' — an investigation into what ChatGPT does with users' 'darkest thoughts', with a report from OpenAI's safety unit.

The headline on the front page of the Sunday Express reads: 'PM
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Several Sunday papers are running with stories following Prime Minster Andy Burnham's comments that he was open to discussions around the UK formally apologising for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. The Sunday Express headlines with

The headline on the front page of the Mail reads: 'Burnham slave trade pledge sparks new reparations row for King'.
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In its front page take of the slavery apology fallout, the Mail angles its lead piece on Burnham's

The headline on the front page of the Sunday People reads: 'Charles under pressure'.
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The Sunday People headlines with

The headline on the front page of the Sunday Express reads: 'Appalling'.
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The

The headline on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph reads: 'Healey's £49bn black hole' in finances'.
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The main headline on the Sunday Telegraph is Chancellor John Healey's

The headline on the front page of the Sunday Times reads: 'Britain's future lies inside the EU, says Reeves'.
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The Sunday Times also carries a front page write saying the King

The headline on the front page of the Independent reads: 'Support for return to EU grows after Burnham shift'.
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The Independent splashes the headline 'Support for return to EU grows after Burnham shift' across its front page. The paper says an exclusive poll 'reveals more voters back rejoining since PM opened door to reversing Brexit'.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: 'Sue are ya'.
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Veering away from politics, the Daily Star devotes its front page to a story that leads with 'Jamie Carragher has apologised for

The headline on the front page of the Sun reads: 'Kenny's secret nights at Maya's'.
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The Sun on Sunday goes all in with a front page about 'Kenny's secret nights at Maya's'. According to the paper, Celebrity Traitors star 'King Kenny spent two secret nights at Maya Jama's £1.5 million flat'. It says the YouTuber 'was seen leaving her London home on Friday'.

The headline on the front page of the Observer reads: '
Image caption,

The Observer runs the headline 'If it wasn't for ChatGPT my brother would still be alive'. The paper looks at 'what ChatGPT does with our darkest thoughts' and has a report that goes inside OpenAI's safety unit.

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