Boris Johnson has said that people should not seek to "retrospectively" change the history of Britain following the Colston Four trial.

Rhian Graham, 30, Milo Ponsford, 26, Jake Skuse, 33, and Sage Willoughby, 22, were all cleared of criminal damage charges.

This was the result of the statue of 17th century slave merchant Edward Colston being torn down in Bristol during a Black Lives Matter protest on June 7, 2020 before being rolled into the Bristol Harbour.

Asked about the jury’s verdict, the Prime Minister told broadcasters at a vaccination centre in Moulton Park, Northampton: “I don’t want to comment on that particular judgment – it’s a matter for the court.

Gazette Series: The statue of Edward Colston was dumped in the Bristol Harbour last year (PA)The statue of Edward Colston was dumped in the Bristol Harbour last year (PA) (Image: PA)

“But what I would say is that my feeling is that we have a complex historical legacy all around us, and it reflects our history in all its diversity, for good or ill.

“What you can’t do is go around seeking retrospectively to change our history or to bowdlerise it or edit it in retrospect.

“It’s like some person trying to edit their Wikipedia entry – it’s wrong.

“And I think if people democratically want to remove a statue or whatever, that’s fine. But I think that, in general, we should preserve our cultural, artistic, historical legacy – that’s my view," he added.