David Lammy says his family links to slavery will inform political approach

Shadow foreign secretary sets out vision for a more strategic, less elitist attitude to UK diplomacy

The shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, says his family history as descendants of enslaved people will inform his work in government, as he seeks to deepen the UK’s relations with the global south and the Commonwealth.

“I will take the responsibility of being the first foreign secretary descended from the slave trade incredibly seriously,” he said in a speech setting out how Labour will reform the foreign, commonwealth and development office (FCDO), a Whitehall department that has a reputation for institutional conservatism.