Foreign PolicyNational 20h 44m left
Should the UK pay reparations to countries from which British slave traders took slaves?
Britain transported around 3 million enslaved Africans between the 17th and early 19th centuries as part of the transatlantic slave trade. In March 2026 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution declaring it the gravest crime against humanity and calling for reparations; the UK abstained. Caribbean nations via CARICOM and Jamaica have formally petitioned King Charles for legal guidance on reparations claims, while the UK government under Keir Starmer has repeatedly ruled out financial payments.
3 Opinions
Absolute woke nonsense! Another demonstration of politicians excelling at finding ways of spending other people’s money! Where should the line be drawn? Raping & pillaging by Vikings? Or even to Romans? Maybe Prisoners of War held by Japanese / Germans? Sadly, through history, greedy bullies used force to grab land, possessions, people & abuse their positions of power. How to calculate, who to pay? The past has got us to today. Now take lessons & go well in future
Slavery was the most popular type of economy for thousand years. Why only specific nations should take responsibility for it. Also it is impossible to calculate who, to whom and how much.
The slave trade was an undeniable atrocity, but asking modern taxpayers, many struggling to pay their own bill, to pay cash reparations for 200 year old crimes makes no sense. Regular people should not inherit the sins of 18th-century elites. Writing blank cheques to foreign governments does nothing for ordinary people and fuels bitter division on our doorstep