Ed Miliband has backed Andy Burnham’s call for Britain to consider a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, setting up a potentially divisive debate over the country’s colonial past as the Government prepares to open talks with Caribbean and African nations.
The Foreign Secretary said the Government was “open to” an official apology on behalf of the British state, but sought to draw a firm distinction between acknowledging historical responsibility and making financial payments to countries affected by slavery.
“Transatlantic slavery was a horrific chapter in our history. It was a brutal and barbaric violation of the humanity of millions, the legacy of which is still felt by so many today,” Mr Miliband said.
“We can’t change the past, but we can face it with honesty, listen to those whose countries and communities continue to feel its legacy, including in Britain, and build stronger relationships for the future.”
His intervention follows Mr Burnham’s support for considering an apology ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. The Prime Minister has committed to establishing a formal dialogue with Caribbean and African partners, British overseas territories and affected communities in the UK.
Mr Miliband said the discussions would cover the history and continuing consequences of slavery, including whether an official apology could help repair relationships.
“That’s why the Prime Minister has committed to establishing a formal, structured dialogue with Caribbean and African partners, overseas territories, and affected communities in Britain,” he said. “This will allow us to discuss the history and ongoing legacy of transatlantic slavery, including the question of a formal apology, which we, the British Government, are open to.”
He argued that confronting the issue was compatible with national pride, saying: “True patriotism comes from having the confidence to talk about difficult chapters in our past. We are strong enough, we are self-confident enough, to have this conversation.”
But the Foreign Secretary was considerably less accommodating on the question of reparations, rejecting financial compensation as neither desirable nor practical.
“We don’t think the right response is to ask British taxpayers today to make financial payments for these historic acts,” he said.
Instead, ministers want to pursue what he described as “meaningful, practical cooperation”, including educational and cultural exchanges, climate resilience, development and economic opportunity.
The distinction is politically significant. While Labour is prepared to discuss a formal state apology, it is seeking to prevent the process from becoming a commitment to potentially substantial compensation claims.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch attacked the initiative as a distraction from more pressing challenges facing Commonwealth countries.
She described Mr Burnham’s intervention as a “navel-gazing distraction” and argued that the summit should be “looking forwards, not backwards”.
Slavery, she said, was “an evil in which people from every continent and region participated”, warning against presenting Britain’s history through a selective political lens.
Ms Badenoch also invoked former prime minister Sir Tony Blair, who expressed “deep sorrow and regret” over Britain’s involvement in the slave trade in 2006 but stopped short of issuing a formal apology.
The row exposes a difficult balancing act for Labour: recognising the enduring legacy of slavery and strengthening diplomatic ties with Commonwealth partners, while resisting demands for financial redress and avoiding a domestic backlash over the use of taxpayers’ money.
For Mr Miliband, the challenge will be ensuring that the promised dialogue produces tangible diplomatic benefits without allowing the question of an apology to become a wider political liability.
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