British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has dismissed the prospect of paying reparations for the United Kingdom’s historical role in the transatlantic slave trade, describing such payments as “not feasible.” The statement follows recent expressions of remorse by King Charles III amid mounting international pressure for a formal apology and financial compensation.
“It’s not the right answer. It’s not practical. It’s not feasible for us, but there are things we can work on cooperatively,” Miliband told the BBC in an interview broadcast Wednesday. He affirmed that the government would not “shift our position on reparations.”
However, Miliband indicated that Britain may issue the long-sought formal apology for its involvement in the slave trade next year, when the nation hosts the G20 leaders’ summit.