LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) 鈥 Britain鈥檚 foreign secretary said Monday that reparations for the U.K.'s role in the slave trade are not about the 鈥渢ransfer of cash鈥 and reiterated his country's position that leans toward focusing on the future.
from some of Britain鈥檚 former colonies for a reckoning over its role in the transatlantic slave trade, including at the recent 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting where leaders called for a 鈥 鈥 discussion of reparatory justice.
During a visit to Nigeria, Britain鈥檚 Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the BBC that being a descendant of enslaved people with his parents from Guyana, he recognizes that slavery was 鈥渉orrendous鈥 and had left 鈥渟cars.鈥
However, people want to think about the future and not to debate about reparations, Lammy said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not about the transfer of cash, particularly at a time of a cost-of-living crisis around much of the globe, and certainly in the U.K.,鈥 he said.
Lammy said Britain is pursuing a new approach to relations with African nations that will deliver on 鈥渞espectful partnerships that listen rather than tell, deliver long-term growth rather than short-term solutions and build a freer, safer, more prosperous continent.鈥
While a handful of nations have apologized for their role in slavery, , the U.K. 鈥 whose wealth was built with the help of the transatlantic slave trade 鈥 has never formally done so.
At the recent Commonwealth summit, King Charles III the calls for reparations but added the past could not be changed. He instead urged leaders to find the 鈥渞ight language鈥 and an understanding of history 鈥渢o guide us towards making the right choices in future where inequality exists.鈥
