23 years after his death Sunak refuses acknowledge Bernie Grant’s call for a Government apology on slavery
Bernie Grant the late MP for my own Parliamentary Constituency of Tottenham died 23 years ago this month.
Amongst many other things he was a committed campaigner against racism and for Government recognition of what slavery and colonialism meant. Perhaps its no surprise that his call for an apology is still refused but its good to see that there are MPs still prepared to press the matter
Hansard 26th April 2023
Bell Ribeiro-Addy
(Streatham) (Lab)
This month marks 23 years since the passing of the late, great Bernie Grant, a former Member of this House and the founder of the reparations movement in the UK. In the last Prime Minister’s questions before his death, he asked for an apology to the people of African descent, living and dead, for our country’s role in slavery and colonialism, but since then Prime Ministers and Heads of State have only ever expressed sorrow or deep regret—not sentiments befitting one of the greatest atrocities in human history—and there has been no acknowledgment of the wealth amassed or of the fact that our country took out its largest ever loan to pay off the slave owners and not the enslaved. Will the Prime Minister do what Bernie Grant asked all those years ago, and what I and countless others have asked since, by offering a full and meaningful apology for our country’s role in slavery and colonialism and committing to reparatory justice? (Unique identification number 904690)
The Prime Minister
No, what I think our focus should now be on doing, while of course understanding our history in all its parts and not running away from it, is making sure that we have a society that is inclusive and tolerant of people from all backgrounds. That is something that we on the Government Benches are committed to doing and will continue to deliver, but trying to unpick our history is not the right way forward and is not something we will focus our energies on.
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