Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the government’s willingness to consider a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade would not mean higher costs for UK taxpayers. The prime minister has ruled out reparations, but has not specified whether the government’s new approach could involve other public spending.
Speaking to the BBC’s Newscast podcast, Miliband said previous governments had tried to avoid confronting the lasting harm caused by slavery. He pointed to former prime minister Tony Blair’s 2007 description of Britain’s involvement as a matter of “deep sorrow and regret”, saying that the remarks were followed by a retreat from the apology.
Miliband said the issue had resurfaced in Commonwealth discussions, including at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, where he described the exchanges as a verbal confrontation. He said the government had decided it was right to address the matter rather than ignore it.
Ministers are starting what they call a “structured dialogue” with countries affected by slavery. A formal apology could be made around the time the prime minister hosts the G20 summit in Manchester in November 2027.
Miliband said he had requested a historical account of Britain’s involvement in the slave trade. He cited the shipment of more than three million people, describing the conditions they endured and the deaths during the voyage as harrowing. He said confronting the past was compatible with being proud of Britain.
Sources: BBC News UK.