The Dispute Index

John Healey

Portrait of John Healey
Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing StreetSourceOpen Government Licence v3.0Resized from the Commons file. The image was not otherwise altered.

John Healey is a British Labour politician who has been Chancellor of the Exchequer since July 20, 2026. He was Secretary of State for Defence from July 2024 to June 2026. First elected to Parliament in 1997, he has been the Member of Parliament for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough since 2024. He was a minister from 2001 to 2010, including as Housing Minister, and Shadow Housing Secretary from 2015 to 2020.

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What we have documented

We have documented 1 statement by John Healey, in 1 case. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.

Case updates

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Statements by John Healey

Portrait of John Healey

John Healey

Role at the time: Chancellor of the Exchequer, speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Defended or excused

Response to this claim

A formal British apology for the slave trade would be used as a lever to seek financial compensation from Britain.

“The prime minister has said, look, we are open to a discussion about an apology. He feels that that’s the right thing, particularly ahead of the Commonwealth leaders’ conference”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Britain should not issue apology over slave trade, says Kemi Badenoch · The GuardianBadenoch's comments and Healey on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
Why we used this label

The reference point is Andy Burnham's position, set out on October 30, 2026, that he is open to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state for the transatlantic slave trade while ruling out financial reparations. Healey, a member of Burnham's government, says the openness to discussing an apology is the right thing and repeats the rejection of reparations, so he defends the position under review.

Read statementFull case: Andy Burnham says he is open to a formal UK apology for slavery and rules out reparations; Conservative and Reform UK leaders object, and CARICOM calls for repair

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

Case

Andy Burnham says he is open to a formal UK apology for slavery and rules out reparations; Conservative and Reform UK leaders object, and CARICOM calls for repair

Relationship to this case: Speaker

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he is open to calls for a formal British state apology for the transatlantic slave trade but rules out financial reparations. Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage oppose an apology, and CARICOM says an apology without repair is incomplete.

U.K. PoliticsInternational RelationsPublished

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