Slavery was an evil in which people from every continent and region participated. We should be honest about the whole history, not select the parts that are politically convenient today, especially given Britain's leading role in ending the transatlantic slave trade.
If Caribbean countries are asking Britain for a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, will they also be asking the same of the descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who captured, sold and profited from the trade?
On demands for reparations, whether through cash or debt relief, we have been down this track before. Twenty-five years ago, Jubilee 2000, Drop the Debt and Make Poverty History argued that cancelling the debts of poorer countries would give them a fresh start. More than $100 billion of debt was eventually written off, but many of those countries have since built up even bigger debts. Labour are already spending too much on Britain's welfare state, now is not the time for Andy Burnham to be providing global welfare.
There is no reason British taxpayers today should be held financially responsible for things that happened generations before any of us were born. And I have even less patience for political elites in commonwealth countries who don’t know how to make their own citizens prosperous now looking for another opportunity to blame Britain.
As Prime Minister, Andy Burnham should be Britain’s greatest defender. Instead, he is writing articles saying we need to confront our history (as if we haven't done enough of that) and considering another formal historical apology. Tony Blair already expressed Britain’s deep sorrow and regret for our role in the slave trade nearly twenty years ago. There is no need to do so again.
This is all another navel-gazing distraction. The Commonwealth should be looking forward, not endlessly backwards. That means economic partnerships to make us all richer and deeper military and security cooperation against common threats. If every Commonwealth summit becomes an exercise in presenting Britain with demands for cash then we need to start asking if it is worth the effort.
@trussliz If you had any self respect, you’d give back the PM pension you’ve qualified for and never ever mention the economy again.
It’s because of you we have this huge Labour majority
Never thought I'd say this but.......
It's time ITV brought back the Jeremy Kyle Show.
Can you imagine this pair being on the show and Jeremy saying ' Don't go away because after the break we have the results of the lie detector tests?"
Epic viewing.
Rishi Sunak was absolutely spot on when it came to Starmer.
Labour vehemently denied the allegations and then fabricated the fictional “black hole” as a pretext to justify their actions, which they had explicitly stated they had no intention of undertaking.
£91,317 a year for an 'Assistant Director of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion' in the NHS.
This amount of money, for this type of job, is honestly outrageous.
Every penny spent on these roles, and the vast associated cost, should be directed into pockets of frontline staff.
WATCH: How the Met Police deal with brazen sex pests and how they deal with a lone patriot
What happened to Tommy Robinson today was disgusting. #TwoTierPolicing
If anyone knows these poppy sellers please DM me. I will try and rattle a tin with them tomorrow..
The saddest thing my generation of Veterans ever say to me is that they struggle to recognise the Country they wore the uniform for.
This is not it. We mustn't allow it to become like this.
London is a big City; there are plenty of areas to protest - the right for which Servicemen and women are proud to serve - without appearing to try and intimidate ordinary citizens trying to collect a bit of cash for Poppy Day - a non-political symbol.