James Cleverly dismisses calls for Britain to confront its colonial past as Foreign Secretary insists there was ‘no awkwardness’ in meeting with ‘woke’ Australian counterpart Penny Wong who told UK to look at its ‘uncomfortable’ history
- Foreign Secretary James Cleverly rejects calls for UK to confront colonial past
- Australian foreign minister Penny Wong made the demand in a speech this week
- Mr Cleverly insists there was ‘no tension, no awkwardness’ in their discussions
James Cleverly today dismissed calls for Britain to confront its colonial past as he pointed to his own status as a black Foreign Secretary.
He highlighted his own heritage, as well as that of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman, as evidence the UK had successfully moved beyond its imperial history.
The Foreign Secretary made the remarks after his Australian counterpart Penny Wong used a speech in London this week to call on Britain to reflect on its ‘uncomfortable’ past.
Ms Wong has been criticised back in Australia for engaging what has been dubbed ‘woke diplomacy’ while in Britain.
But, appearing alongside the Australian foreign minister at a joint press conference in Portsmouth this afternoon, Mr Cleverly insisted there had been ‘no awkwardness’ during their talks.
Penny Wong has been criticised back in Australia for engaging what has been dubbed ‘woke diplomacy’ while in Britain
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly insisted there had been ‘no awkwardness’ during his talks with the Australian foreign minister
‘There’s been no tension, no awkwardness, there’s been perhaps more than a little bit of humour about how often our history is portrayed both here in Portsmouth and in London,’ the Foreign Secretary said.
He revealed the pair did discuss ‘the nature of the relationship between the UK and other countries which are now in the Commonwealth but which were previously British colonies’.
But Mr Cleverly said these were ‘not the mainstay of the conversations we’ve been having’.
‘I think it is incumbent upon the UK, in our dealings with Australia or any other country with which we were once a colonial power, to recognise that we need to demonstrate that this is a modern partnership, a partnership of equals – different but equal, geographically separated but emotionally and historically bound,’ he added.
The Foreign Secretary earlier insisted Britain had successfully confronted its colonial past when quizzed by the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘You’re asking the black foreign secretary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain?,’ Mr Cleverly responded in an interview with the Australian newspaper.
‘Yeah, I think the answer is yes – you’re looking at it, you’re talking to it!
‘I mean, the bottom line is we have a Prime Minister of Asian heritage, you have a Home Secretary of Asian heritage, you have a Foreign Secretary of African heritage.
‘The amazing work that we have been doing and are destined to do now with Australia is a real indicator that yes of course, history matters, what matters more is the stuff we can do in the future.’
Mr Cleverly highlighted his own heritage, as well as that of Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman, as evidence the UK had successfully moved beyond its imperial history
In her speech at King’s College London on Tuesday, Ms Wong spoke of how her father was descended from Hakka and Cantonese Chinese.
‘Many from these clans laboured for the British North Borneo company in tin mines and plantations for tobacco and timber,’ the Labor Party politician said.
‘Many worked as domestic servants for British colonists, as did my own grandmother.’
Ms Wong added that ‘such stories can sometimes feel uncomfortable’ but stressed that ‘understanding the past enables us to better share the present and the future’.
‘It gives us the opportunity to find more common ground than if we stayed sheltered in narrower versions of our countries’ histories,’ she continued.
Ms Wong and Richard Charles, the Australian defence minister, were in London this week to take part in the annual Australia-UK ministerial consultations.
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