Tony Blair apologizes for Britain's role in the so-called 'slave trade'

On 15 March 2007, in a joint press conference with the Ghanaian president, John Agyekum Kufuor, the prime minister, Tony Blair, apologizes for Britain's role in the so-called Transatlantic 'slave trade' by stating that 'I have said we are sorry and I say it again … [It is important] to remember what happened in the past, to condemn it and say why it was entirely unacceptable'.The statement is largely ignored by the media and continues to fall short of an official and public apology. Reports confirm that Blair's reticence to apologize is 'prompted by guidance from his legal advisers that saying sorry could also mean admitting liability to an individual or group claiming compensation'.