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British Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has rejected calls for Britain to pay reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, questioning why Caribbean countries demanding an apology from the UK would not make similar demands of African kingdoms and merchants who participated in the trade.
Badenoch argued that present-day British taxpayers should not bear the financial burden of actions committed generations before they were born.
She also criticised political leaders in Commonwealth countries who continue to demand compensation from Britain, saying discussions about slavery should recognise the involvement of different societies in the trade.
“Slavery was an evil in which people from every continent and region participated. We should be honest about the whole history, not select the parts that are politically convenient today, especially given Britain’s leading role in ending the transatlantic slave trade,” she said.
The Conservative leader questioned whether Caribbean countries seeking a formal apology from Britain would extend the same demand to descendants of African rulers and merchants who captured, sold and profited from enslaved people.
“If Caribbean countries are asking Britain for a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, will they also be asking the same of the descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who captured, sold and profited from the trade?” she asked.
Badenoch also opposed proposals for direct financial compensation and debt cancellation as forms of reparations.
To support her position, she cited international debt relief campaigns, including Jubilee 2000, Drop the Debt and Make Poverty History, arguing that previous efforts to write off the debts of poorer countries had not prevented them from accumulating further liabilities.
“Twenty-five years ago, Jubilee 2000, Drop the Debt and Make Poverty History argued that cancelling the debts of poorer countries would give them a fresh start. More than $100 billion of debt was eventually written off, but many of those countries have since built up even bigger debts,” she stated.
She further argued that Britain should not commit additional public funds to international reparations, given what she described as excessive spending on the country’s welfare system.
“Labour are already spending too much on Britain’s welfare state, now is not the time for Andy Burnham to be providing global welfare,” Badenoch said.
She maintained that British citizens should not be held financially responsible for the historical slave trade.
“There is no reason British taxpayers today should be held financially responsible for things that happened generations before any of us were born,” she declared.
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Badenoch also accused some political leaders in Commonwealth countries of using Britain’s colonial and slavery history to deflect attention from their domestic economic challenges.
“And I have even less patience for political elites in commonwealth countries who don’t know how to make their own citizens prosperous now looking for another opportunity to blame Britain,” she said.
The Conservative leader also criticised Andy Burnham over his position on Britain’s historical involvement in slavery and the possibility of another formal apology.
She argued that Britain’s leadership should prioritise defending the country’s interests rather than reopening debates over historical responsibility.
“As Prime Minister, Andy Burnham should be Britain’s greatest defender. Instead, he is writing articles saying we need to confront our history (as if we haven’t done enough of that) and considering another formal historical apology,” she stated.
Badenoch maintained that Britain had already expressed regret over its role in the slave trade, referring to a statement by former Prime Minister Tony Blair nearly two decades ago.
“Tony Blair already expressed Britain’s deep sorrow and regret for our role in the slave trade nearly twenty years ago. There is no need to do so again,” she said.
Describing renewed demands for apologies and reparations as a distraction, Badenoch urged Commonwealth countries to focus on economic cooperation, trade and security.
“This is all another navel-gazing distraction. The Commonwealth should be looking forward, not endlessly backwards,” she stated.
She called for stronger economic partnerships and military cooperation among Commonwealth members, arguing that such arrangements would help improve prosperity and address shared security concerns.
Badenoch also questioned the value of Commonwealth summits if they continued to centre on demands for financial compensation from Britain.
“If every Commonwealth summit becomes an exercise in presenting Britain with demands for cash then we need to start asking if it is worth the effort,” she warned.
