On the International Day of Remembrance for Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, I presented a Parliamentary Petition calling for an unequivocal apology and an All-Party Parliamentary Commission for Truth and Reparatory Justice to address these grave crimes and their legacy. Our country has never truly apologised for its central role in slavery and colonialism. An apology could be a basis for addressing the evil legacy of enslavement and empire and building the kind of new partnerships needed to tackle the major challenges now facing the world.

My petition presentation came as UN General Assembly delegates debated a resolution tabled by Ghana to recognise the Transatlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity. Ultimately, UN Delegates voted overwhelmingly to adopt the resolution. Britain abstained. The government’s refusal to support this resolution leaves us on the wrong side of history and more isolated on the world stage.