Badenoch says talk of formal UK slavery apology is ‘navel-gazing distraction’

Kemi Badenoch has said Andy Burnham’s consideration of a formal apology for Britain’s role in the slave trade is a “navel-gazing distraction”.

The Tory leader said slavery was “an evil in which people from every continent and region participated” and argued the Commonwealth should be “looking forwards, not backwards” at a summit in Antigua and Barbuda next week.

She pointed to the intervention by Sir Tony Blair, who in 2006 expressed “deep sorrow and regret” over the UK’s involvement in the slave trade but stopped short of a full apology, in arguing that Britain has already confronted its history.

It comes after the Prime Minister said he was “open” to calls for an official apology on behalf of the state in an article for the Guardian before he flies to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the Caribbean.

In a lengthy post on social media, Mrs Badenoch said: “We should be honest about the whole history, not select the parts that are politically convenient today, especially given Britain’s leading role in ending the transatlantic slave trade.

“If Caribbean countries are asking Britain for a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, will they also be asking the same of the descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who captured, sold and profited from the trade?”

She added: “As Prime Minister, Andy Burnham should be Britain’s greatest defender. Instead, he is writing articles saying we need to confront our history (as if we haven’t done enough of that) and considering another formal historical apology.

“Tony Blair already expressed Britain’s deep sorrow and regret for our role in the slave trade nearly 20 years ago. There is no need to do so again. This is all another navel-gazing distraction. The Commonwealth should be looking forward, not endlessly backwards.”

Mrs Badenoch also questioned whether future Chogm events would be worth “worth the effort” if demands from Caribbean nations to pay reparations for the UK’s role in the slave trade persist.

In keeping with previous governments, the Prime Minister has rejected calls for financial compensation.

He said he would instead seek to launch a drive to restructure debt for the poorest Commonwealth countries’ debt-servicing to help them repay over a longer time period with better rates.

Chancellor John Healey, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and former prime minister Gordon Brown will join him at the summit to help with this work, he said.

He said the UK will also support countries with the transition to renewable energy and getting smaller countries heard on the world stage, as well as with work to educate women and girls and tackle poverty and inequality.

Denis O’Brien, founder of The Repair Campaign, which describes itself as a transatlantic movement for reparatory justice for the Caribbean, said: “The British Government must stop obfuscating and give a full and formal apology now. This would be a significant and symbolic first step towards reparatory justice.

“Tonight’s statement from the Prime Minister was disappointing, and will not quell the demand for an apology from the 15 Caricom countries in advance of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua next week.”