Britain's foreign secretary says slavery reparations not about cash transfer

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy says reparations for nan U.K.’s domiciled successful nan enslaved waste and acquisition are not astir nan “transfer of cash” and reiterated his country’s position that leans toward focusing connected nan future

LAGOS, Nigeria -- Britain’s overseas caput said Monday that reparations for nan U.K.'s domiciled successful nan enslaved waste and acquisition are not astir nan “transfer of cash” and reiterated his country's position that leans toward focusing connected nan future.

There person been calls from immoderate of Britain’s erstwhile colonies for a reckoning complete its domiciled successful nan transatlantic enslaved trade, including astatine nan caller 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting wherever leaders called for a “ meaningful, respectful and truthful ” chat of reparatory justice.

During a sojourn to Nigeria, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy told nan BBC that being a descendant of enslaved group pinch his parents from Guyana, he recognizes that slavery was “horrendous” and had near “scars.”

However, group want to deliberation astir nan early and not to statement astir reparations, Lammy said.

“It’s not astir nan transportation of cash, peculiarly astatine a clip of a cost-of-living situation astir overmuch of nan globe, and surely successful nan U.K.,” he said.

Lammy said Britain is pursuing a caller attack to relations pinch African nations that will present connected “respectful partnerships that perceive alternatively than tell, present semipermanent maturation alternatively than short-term solutions and build a freer, safer, much prosperous continent.”

While a fistful of nations person apologized for their domiciled successful slavery, including nan Netherlands, nan U.K. — whose wealthiness was built pinch nan thief of nan transatlantic enslaved waste and acquisition — has ne'er formally done so.

At nan caller Commonwealth summit, King Charles III indirectly acknowledged nan calls for reparations but added nan past could not beryllium changed. He alternatively urged leaders to find nan “right language” and an knowing of history “to guideline america towards making nan correct choices successful early wherever inequality exists.”