British Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has rejected calls for Britain to pay reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, arguing that present-day taxpayers should not bear the financial responsibility for events that occurred generations ago.
In a post on X, Badenoch said Britain had already expressed regret over its involvement in the slave trade. She also questioned why demands for reparations were directed at Britain without similar calls for African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who participated in the trade.
She argued that slavery was an evil in which people from different continents and regions participated, and that the history of the trade should be examined in its entirety.
“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 reparations through cash payments or debt relief, citing previous international debt cancellation initiatives.
She recalled that Jubilee 2000, Drop the Debt and Make Poverty History had campaigned for debt relief for poorer countries, resulting in more than $100 billion in debt being written off.
However, she argued that many of the countries had since accumulated even larger debts.
“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 said.
The Conservative leader maintained that Britain’s current economic challenges should take priority over demands for historical compensation.
“There is no reason British taxpayers today should be held financially responsible for things that happened generations before any of us were born,” she said.
She also accused political leaders in Commonwealth countries of using historical grievances to deflect attention from their failure to improve living conditions in their countries.
Badenoch’s comments come amid renewed debate over Britain’s historical role in the slave trade, including calls for a formal apology and reparations.
She criticised Andy Burnham for advocating a confrontation with Britain’s history and considering another formal apology, arguing that he should instead be defending the country’s interests.
According to Badenoch, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair had already expressed Britain’s deep sorrow and regret over its involvement in the slave trade nearly two decades ago.
She argued that another apology would serve little purpose.
Badenoch urged Commonwealth countries to prioritise economic partnerships, trade and security cooperation over demands for historical compensation. She also warned that Britain should reconsider its participation in Commonwealth activities if its summits became dominated by calls for financial reparations.
“The Commonwealth should be looking forward, not endlessly backwards,” she said.