Miliband says slavery apology will not bring cost for UK taxpayers

Image caption, Ed Miliband tells the BBC's Newscast podcast it is right to confront this issue of the transatlantic slavery trade Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has insisted the government's willingness to consider formally apologising for the UK's role in the transatlantic slave trade will not lead to higher costs for the British taxpayer. The prime minister has said the UK will not pay reparations to affected countries, but declined to say whether his new approach could involve additional taxpayer money. Speaking on the BBC's Newscast podcast, Miliband said previous British governments had a sweep it under the carpet attitude to the pain and consequences of slavery, citing what he described as former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair's sorry not sorry remarks on the issue nearly two decades ago. In 2007, Sir Tony said the UK's involvement in the slave trade was a matter of deep sorrow and regret. Tony Blair did sort of do a kind of sorry not sorry situation.