The petition of residents of the United Kingdom
Declares that the Houses of Parliament and the UK government have not yet apologised for Britain’s role in African chattel enslavement and colonialism; further declares that the “deep sorrow and regret for our nation’s role in the slave trade” as has been previously expressed by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, does not constitute a meaningful apology for the enslavement, trafficking, genocide and extensive colonial crimes that our country engaged in; further declares that an official apology in our country’s name and the establishment of an All-Party Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry for Truth & Reparatory Justice can be the beginning of action to address its legacy; and further declares that once an apology has been offered, the UK can begin to engage with those nations and communities affected on discussions of reparatory justice, which can extend beyond monetary payment.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to issue a full and meaningful apology, on behalf of the UK government, for Britain’s role in African chattel enslavement and colonialism, and establish an All-Party Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry for Truth & Reparatory Justice.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Official Report, 25 March 2026; Vol. 783, c. 366.]
[P003179]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Chris Elmore):
The UK Government are grateful to all those who have taken the time to sign this petition, and we acknowledge the gravity of the issues raised.
We fully recognise the abhorrent nature of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, which inflicted untold harm and misery on millions of people over many decades. Its horrors were profound and its legacy continues to leave deep scars today.
We look back on the statement made 20 years ago by Tony Blair, expressing deep sorrow and regret for Britain’s role in the slave trade, as an important moment for our nation, but we will reflect carefully on the views submitted by the petitioners on the former Prime Minister’s statement, and take those views into account when addressing these issues in the future.
In our many discussions on these issues with our counterparts in the CARICOM group, and with other stakeholders, the UK Government have repeatedly set out our belief that it is only by acknowledging and openly discussing the most painful elements of the history that we share with other nations, including the transatlantic slave trade, that we can also come together in a spirit of solidarity and mutual respect to respond to the challenges that we all face today, and that we want to work on together for the future.
But that said, we have consistently made clear that we will not pay financial reparations, and that—in legal terms—there is no duty to provide reparation for historical acts that were not, at the time those acts were committed, violations of international law.
While that will remain our position, we advise the petitioners that the establishment of an all-party parliamentary commission of inquiry for truth and reparatory justice to explore these issues further would be a matter for the UK Parliament to consider, not for the UK Government. Nevertheless, we again thank the petitioners for their representations, all of which have been carefully considered.