Corbyn in Bristol: 1963 Bus Boycott 'doesn't get the recognition it deserves'

The Labour Leader said on a visit to Bristol that the bus boycott of 1963 doesn't get enough recognition. Credit: ITV West Country

Children should be taught more about the legacy of the British Empire, colonialism and the slave trade, Jeremy Corbyn said on a visit to Bristol today (11 October).

The Labour leader called for schools to give pupils a greater awareness of the role played by black Britons in shaping the country’s history.

He said that Bristol was "the centre of the slave trade" and those who campaigned against it in the city should be celebrated.

On the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott, Mr Corbyn said it was "seminal" and "doesn't get as much recognition as it deserves". It proved to be a major stepping stone in the fight for equality, which eventually led to the UK's first ever laws against racial discrimination.

Mr Corbyn visited Bristol's City Hall to set out Labour's plan to educate young people about slavery and the efforts put into ending the trade. Credit: ITV West Country

Mr Corbyn set out plans for an Emancipation Educational Trust aimed at educating future generations about slavery and the struggle to end the trade.

He will also meet Paul Stephenson later today, a civil rights activist who played a central role in the bus boycott and who Mr Corbyn describes as "an amazing man".