UK Foreign Secretary Miliband says slavery apology will not cost taxpayers
Ed Miliband told the BBC that a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade would not require additional public spending.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the government’s plan to consider a formal apology for the United Kingdom’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade would not increase costs for taxpayers. He told the BBC’s Newscast podcast that previous administrations had tended to "sweep it under the carpet" and cited former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair’s mixed messages on the issue nearly two decades ago. > "Tony Blair did sort of do a kind of sorry not sorry situation. He kind of expressed sorrow, and then said sorry, and then it was walked back by number 10," Miliband said.
Miliband noted that the topic has resurfaced in recent discussions, including a conversation between Andy Burnham and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, and that the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa had highlighted lingering tensions. He described the ongoing debate as a "verbal punch up" that has persisted for about 20 years.
The foreign secretary said the government is beginning a "structured dialogue" with affected countries and expects any apology to be timed around the G20 summit in Manchester in November 2027. > "Is it weak to do this? I think it's the opposite of weak. I think fragile weak countries can't face up to their past. I'm really proud of Britain, but being proud of your country is also being willing to face up to things you didn't do, right?" Miliband added.
He also said he has requested a historical briefing on the UK’s role in the slave trade, noting that more than three million people were shipped with British state involvement, many of whom died or endured harsh conditions on the voyages and after arrival in the Caribbean and the Americas.