Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade

I certainly will. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister said clearly—I think that it was on the record—that he is in favour of that. The Government are open to hearing people’s views. The issue can be debated throughout the UK during this year and we want to hear as many views as possible. I wanted briefly to talk about poverty in Africa, but I am running out of time. Hon. Members have mentioned the importance that we place on providing support there. The contribution on this issue from my hon. Friend the Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) was enormously important. One thing that emerges from the history of the abolition of the slave trade and the abolition movement is that Parliament matters; it makes a difference. The passing of the 1807 Act on the abolition of the slave trade marked the beginning of the end for the transatlantic slave trade. It was not only parliamentarians, but enslaved Africans and ordinary citizens throughout the country, who brought about the change. However, the passing of the Act was not the end of slavery. Although the legalised trade in human beings has been abolished, it persists today in contemporary forms such as people trafficking. It being Ten o’clock, the motion for the Adjournment of the House lapsed, without Question put.