Parliament’s Black History Month is rightly a time to celebrate the achievements of Black Britons. Because Black History is British History and it is important to see this fully and honestly reflected in the way it is taught. But as well as celebrating the achievements of our forebears, we must also work together to drive progress forwards. 

I used this year’s debate to set out the case for reparations. To understand where racism comes from, we need to look at our unacknowledged past of enslavement and colonialism. Racism did not appear by accident. It was engineered. As the great Trinidadian journalist Claudia Jones wrote: “Imperialism is the root cause of racism. It is the ideology which upholds colonial rule and exploitation”. In other words, it was a system created to uphold Britain’s Empire. 

It is not just a question of words or attitudes, but material conditions: who owns wealth, who holds power, who has access to housing, healthcare, safety and dignity. If we are going to build a world free from racism, we must confront these structural issues. 

The call for reparations has survived centuries because it speaks to something beyond politics. It speaks to the human need for recognition, justice and dignity, and to the possibility of renewal. Not just for the nations that were wronged, but for Britain itself. As I explained in the debate, I want our country to be looked on with respect and admiration, not because it never got anything wrong, but because we had the courage to put what we got wrong right.