Justin Welby backs removal of slave trader memorial in Cambridge college

Archbishop of Canterbury says Church of England has long way to go on journey towards racial justice

The archbishop of Canterbury has intervened for the second time in a dispute over a contested memorial in the chapel at Jesus College, Cambridge, stating emphatically that memorials to slave-traders do not belong in places of worship".

Commenting on the legal battle over a memorial plaque to Tobias Rustat, a 17th-century benefactor who invested in slavery, Justin Welby gave his unequivocal support to those seeking its removal and suggested the Church of England still has a long way to go on its journey towards racial justice.