The UK must set up a commission to investigate atrocities committed during the “long shadow of the British Empire”, MPs have said.
In the wake of global protests at the death of George Floyd, the Liberal Democrats have proposed investigating Britain’s imperial record, to establish the extent of human rights abuses and wrongdoing.
The plan includes an overhaul of the school curriculum to broaden teaching of black history and the creation of citizen’s assemblies to debate memorials to the UK’s imperial legacy.
The idea could reignite the furore which erupted in the UK after the death of Mr Floyd – which saw the statue of slave trader Edward Colston toppled and cast into Bristol’s harbour.
The Black Lives Matter protests, sparked by Mr Floyd’s death at the hands of a white police officer, prompted fresh recriminations about the UK’s colonial past, including monuments to people linked with the slave trade.
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A statue of slaveholder Robert Milligan was removed from London’s Docklands in June, and Mayor Sadiq Khan announced a review of all statues and street names linked to the slave trade in London.
Tensions flared at demonstrations in London, with a statue of Winston Churchill daubed with graffiti.
Lib Dem equalities spokesperson Christine Jardine, who will move the motion at the party’s autumn conference, said: “Racial justice cannot wait.
“The UK has never properly addressed the long shadow of the British Empire nor done anywhere near enough to eradicate systemic racism in our society and our institutions. We must fill the gaps in our national narrative.
“A commission would play a vital role in uncovering historic injustice and abuse, to truly lay bare the legacy of the Empire. Citizens’ Assemblies will empower communities to take charge of how that history is memorialised and contextualised to build a more inclusive country.
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“This motion is about recognising deep-rooted injustice and inequality, at every level of our society, in order to develop a path to eradicate racism in our society and institutions. We need radical action to bring about that change and we need it now.”
Boris Johnson previously announced a cross-Government commission into racial inequalities, admitting the UK had to do much more to tackle racism.
But critics said there have already been several Government reviews into racism and demanded urgent action to implement past findings.
