DAVID LAMMY announced there will be no cash for slavery reparations today during a visit to Africa, blaming the “cost-of-living crisis.”

The Foreign Secretary, who has previously advocated for financial reparations for countries affected by Britain’s role in slavery, claimed that focusing on money was “a simplistic press debate.”

He has fallen into line behind Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who made it clear before a recent Commonwealth leaders’ meeting that Britain would not be paying any monetary compensation, despite many governments pressing for a discussion on the issue.

“It’s not about the transfer of cash, particularly at a time of a cost-of-living crisis around much of the globe, and certainly in the UK,” Mr Lammy told the BBC.

“That is not the debate I think that people are wanting to have. They’re wanting to think about the future,” he added, untruthfully since it is a debate that many clearly want.

Mr Lammy, who acknowledged that slavery was “horrific and horrendous in many, many ways,” is visiting Nigeria to sign agreements on trade, security and climate change with the government there.

It is unlikely his remarks will put the argument to bed, particularly since the “cost-of-living crisis” will soon pass as a usable rationale for inertia.

The Foreign Office said Mr Lammy was pursuing “a fresh approach” that “works productively from Morocco to Madagascar.”

He next heads to South Africa to agree a new UK-South Africa growth agreement, pledging “more jobs, more prosperity and more opportunities for Brits and Africans alike.”