On the 16th May 2025, I tabled the following Early Day Motion noting the publication of the Laying Ancestors to Rest report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan Reparations. It calls for a new approach to ancestral remains taken from enslaved and colonised peoples based on the recommendations in this report.

That this House notes the publication of the Laying Ancestors to Rest report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan Reparations, which highlights the impact of the continued retention, display, and sale of African ancestral remains in UK institutions and private collections; recognises the cultural, spiritual, and ethical significance of these remains to descendant communities and the ongoing distress caused by their continued possession outside their places of origin; expresses concern over reports that African ancestral remains continue to be sold on online marketplaces and through private collectors with insufficient legal oversight; calls on the Government to implement the report’s recommendations, including to amend legislation to ban the sale and public display of human remains, introduce a clear, transparent process for the repatriation of African ancestral remains, and fund provenance research to identify the origins of remains in UK institutions; further calls on the Government to facilitate discussions with descendant communities on the creation of memorials or reburial sites for unidentifiable remains; urges museums, universities, and other institutions to adopt ethical policies on the storage, display, and restitution of African ancestral remains, in consultation with affected communities; and supports greater international cooperation to address the colonial legacy of human remains retention and ensure that affected communities are at the centre of decision-making processes regarding their ancestors.

Find your MP and write to them today to encourage them to sign this EDM.