British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has asserted that the government's willingness to formally apologize for the UK's historical role in the transatlantic slave trade will not incur additional costs for taxpayers. While the Prime Minister has confirmed the UK will not pay reparations, Miliband clarified that an apology would not necessitate taxpayer money. He emphasized a shift from previous governments' approaches, which he characterized as attempting to "sweep it under the carpet."
Miliband recalled former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair's 2007 statement expressing "deep sorrow and regret" for the UK's involvement in the slave trade, which he described as a "sorry not sorry" situation that was subsequently walked back.
He noted that the issue has been a persistent point of discussion within the Commonwealth, citing a recent verbal altercation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa two years prior, which he described as not having gone well. "This has really been hanging around as an issue for the Commonwealth for sort of 20 years, really. But it's grown and grown," Miliband stated.
To address this ongoing issue, Miliband and the Prime Minister are initiating a "structured dialogue" with affected countries, with the potential for a formal apology to coincide with the UK hosting the G20 Summit in Manchester in November 2027. Miliband expressed pride in Britain's willingness to confront its past, stating, "being proud of your country is also being willing to face up to things you didn't do, right?"
He shared that he requested a historical overview of Britain's involvement in the slave trade, highlighting that over three million people were transported with the complicity of the British state over centuries, and hundreds of thousands died during the voyages. He described the conditions on the ships and in the Caribbean and Americas as harrowing.