By Fatma Younis
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has insisted that the UK government's willingness to consider a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade will not result in higher costs for British taxpayers. While the prime minister has ruled out paying reparations to affected countries, he has not specified whether the new approach could involve additional public money.
Confronting historical legacy
Speaking on the BBC's Newscast podcast, Miliband said previous British governments had adopted a "sweep it under the carpet" attitude toward the pain and consequences of slavery. He cited former Prime Minister Tony Blair's 2007 expression of "deep sorrow and regret" as a "sorry not sorry" situation that was later walked back by Number 10. Miliband noted that the issue resurfaced in a recent conversation between Andy Burnham and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.
Commonwealth tensions
The foreign secretary also pointed to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, which he described as ending in a "verbal punch up" over the slavery issue. He said the matter has lingered for about 20 years and has grown in intensity, prompting the current government to confront it directly rather than pretend it does not exist.
Structured dialogue and timeline
Miliband confirmed the government is open to a formal apology and has begun a "structured dialogue" with affected nations. The expectation is that an apology may be delivered around the time the prime minister hosts the G20 Summit in Manchester in November 2027. Miliband argued that facing up to the past is a sign of strength, not weakness, and said he has requested a historical digest of the UK's involvement, which saw over three million people shipped with British state complicity over two centuries.
Royal and government context
King Charles recently referred to the slave trade as a "shameful chapter" during a Commonwealth address. Meanwhile, the prime minister has announced plans for a debt reset for Commonwealth nations as discussions on a slavery apology begin.
