As Prime Minister, Tony Blair once expressed “deep sorrow and regret for our nation’s role in the slave trade”.
These are not sentiments befitting the crimes committed under British authority.
We need a formal apology and commitments to repair ✍🏿
bit.ly/UKSlaveryApology
Only through truth and accountability can Britain begin to heal and engage honestly with countries and communities impacted by enslavement and colonisation.
Sign our petition urging the government to take the first steps towards reparative justice ✍🏿
For centuries, Britain played a central role in enslavement and colonial violence.
Yet to this day, the Houses of Parliament, the UK Government, and the Monarchy have never issued a full and meaningful apology.
Sign the petition calling for one ✍🏿
bit.ly/UKSlaveryApology
It is time for Britain to face its past with honesty, courage, and responsibility.
Sign our petition calling on the government to apologise for our country's role in enslavement and colonialism and take the first steps towards justice ✍🏿
bit.ly/UKSlaveryApology
On this day in 1999, Bernie Grant MP called for an official state apology for enslavement and colonialism during PMQs.
The British government has never truly apologised.
Sign this petition calling on them to do so and take the first steps toward reparative justice ✍🏿
bit.ly/UKSlaveryApo...
c.org/BGZmsxpdFc 👇✍️
30.10.2025 11:06 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Britain has never truly apologised for its role in African chattel enslavement and colonialism.
Our petition calls for the government to issue an official state apology and take the first steps towards reparatory justice.
Sign and share ⬇
Bit.ly/UKSlaveryApology
Racism didn’t appear by accident. It was engineered.
It is not just about words or attitudes, but material conditions: who owns wealth, who holds power, who has access to housing, healthcare, safety and dignity.
To truly tackle racism, we need reparations.
‘It goes beyond getting a cash refund for slavery’: Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder on the case for reparations
24.09.2025 05:02 — 👍 84 🔁 21 💬 5 📌 2
Lenny Henry speaks into a microphone in a Parliamentary Select Committee room with red and gold wallpaper and dark wooden panelling. He wears a black beret.
Panellists from the event pose together behind a leather top table in a Parliamentary committee room with dark wooden panelling and red and gold wallpaper. The three people on the right of the image hold copies of 'The Big Payback'.
People listen attentively in a packed Parliamentary committee room with dark wood panelling, red and gold wallpaper, bright chandeliers. They are sit in a horseshoe formation around wooden tables, whilst six people sit at the top table.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP sits behind a leather-topped wooden table in a Parliamentary select committee room with red and gold wallpaper and dark wood panelling. She is speaking into a microphone as other panellists look towards her.
Yesterday evening, we welcomed Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder to Parliament to talk about their new book, ‘The Big Payback’.
Great to get their insights on reparations and how we can take the case for reparatory justice to a mass audience.
A woman in a bright patterned outfit and yellow headwrap speaks at a podium during the UK Reparations Conference 2025. Two panelists sit beside her at a table on stage, and a large green screen behind them reads “Delivering Justice Through Repair.” Audience members watch from the seating area.
Diane Abbott speaks from behind a Friends House lectern, with the edge of a screen just in shot.
A speaker stands at a podium addressing attendees at the UK Reparations Conference 2025 in a large hall with tiered seating. Behind her, a screen displays “Conference Welcome” and a panel of six people sits at a long table on stage. The audience faces forward, listening attentively.
Jeremy Corbyn addresses the crowd from behind a grey Friends House lectern. There are several people seated at the table next to him.
This month, we hosted our third annual UK Reparations Conference.
Activists from across the UK came together to discuss how we can repair the enduring damage inflicted through enslavement and colonialism.
Thank you very much to everyone who spoke, supported and attended.
The call for reparations has survived centuries because it speaks to something beyond politics.
It speaks to the human need for recognition, justice and dignity, and to the possibility of renewal.
Not just for the nations that were wronged, but for Britain itself.
My speech:
