UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has defended Andy Burnham’s decision to open talks about a formal UK apology for slavery, criticising Tony Blair’s 2006 statement which he described as a “sorry not sorry” apology. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
In an interview with the BBC’s Newscast podcast, Miliband referred to Blair’s 2006 statement in which he called the slave trade “profoundly shameful” and expressed “deep sorrow that it ever happened” but did not formally apologise. Miliband characterised Blair’s position as a “sorry not sorry” situation.
“People have been honestly a bit bruised by the past, what happened in the past, the sense that we just really just wanted to sweep this issue under the carpet and not confront it,” Miliband said. He noted “a bit of a sigh of relief” regarding Burnham’s initiative: “at least there’s a sense of we’ve got a shared interest now in moving the Commonwealth on.”
Miliband criticised Blair’s actions: “He kind of expressed ‘sorrow, but’ and then said sorry, and then it was walked back by No 10.” This is the latest example of a long-standing feud between Miliband and the former prime minister. Miliband, as Labour leader between 2010 and 2015, criticised some aspects of New Labour’s record, which Blair opposed.
Burnham has said he wants a “structured dialogue” with Commonwealth countries about the wording of an apology. Asked whether the government might reach the point of a formal apology by the time it hosts the G20 leaders’ summit in Manchester next November, Miliband said: “Broadly speaking, yes.”
However, he stressed that the UK was not offering reparations. Asked whether the government’s new approach could end up costing UK taxpayers a penny more, Miliband replied: “No … For us, that’s never been what it’s about. And that’s why it’s been important that … I did have this conversation with our partners in advance. I said, ‘Look, we are going to say we are willing to say that we’re open to an apology, but we’re not going to shift our position on reparations.’ It’s not for us. It’s not the right answer. It’s not practical. It’s not feasible for us, but there are things we can work on co-operatively.”
It is worth noting that although today is Wednesday, which normally means Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) at Westminster, the main focus is on the US midterm elections. With Andy Burnham at the Commonwealth summit in Antigua, the key events in UK politics have shifted elsewhere. Nevertheless, Miliband’s interview clarified the UK’s position on the legacy of slavery.
Today’s agenda: Health Secretary Yvette Cooper gives evidence to the Commons health committee; Education Secretary Lucy Powell gives evidence to the Commons education committee; at noon, First Secretary of State Louise Haigh faces Deputy Conservative Leader Alex Burghart at PMQs; in the afternoon (UK time), Andy Burnham is due to record a pooled TV interview while attending the final day of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Antigua and Barbuda; at 2:15pm, Office for Budget Responsibility chair Jonathan Haskel gives evidence with colleagues to the Commons Treasury committee about the budget.