Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Memorial for Victims of Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery

Thursday 31 March 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Memorial 2007 project seeks to establish a memorial for African victims of the transatlantic slave trade.
  • Wera Hobhouse noted that the Minister's predecessor had promised to meet campaigners but scheduling did not allow it.
  • UK Government contributed to a UN memorial in New York to ensure the horrors of the slave trade are not repeated.

Questions & Answers

Q1 Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath

Question

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of erecting a memorial for victims of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery.

Answer from Steve Barclay

There is no disputing the horrors of what occurred during the slave trade, which is why we commemorate the annual International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on 23 August.

How: Commemoration Without Addressing Memorial

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Q2 Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath
Context

A number of the questioner's constituents are part of the Memorial 2007 project, which aims to establish a memorial for millions of Africans enslaved in the transatlantic trade. The previous government had committed to meet with the campaigners but this did not happen.

Question

A number of my constituents are part of the Memorial 2007 project, which is a campaign to set up a memorial for the millions of Africans enslaved in the transatlantic trade. The right hon. Gentleman's predecessor promised that he would meet me and the campaigners, but then the schedule did not allow that to happen. Will the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster now commit to meet me and the campaigners of the project?

Answer from Steve Barclay

One reason why the UK Government were engaged with the UN memorial in New York was to ensure that the suffering and trauma inflicted as a result of the slave trade do not happen again, so we contributed to the memorial there. Even as a constituency MP, I think of Thomas Clarkson. There are already memorials of the leading figures in the campaign against slavery, including of Thomas Clarkson who should be remembered alongside Wilberforce. I will ensure that somebody from the Cabinet Office meets the hon. Lady to discuss anything further that we can do.

Partly answered

Not addressed: commitment to meet with campaigners

How: Referencing Other Memorials, Offering A Meeting With Someone Else

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