Suella Braverman, a former British Home Secretary, has said that Ghana and other former colonies should pay reparations to the United Kingdom (UK).
According to the former UK Minister, the British Empire did so much good for the world, adding that former colonies should pay the British back for the considerable investment.
Suella Braverman argued that slavery was abhorrent, but former colonies expecting the British people of the 21st century to pay for actions that took place in the 18th century has no basis in law.
In a post on X, the former Conservative politician weighed in on the reparations debate, saying, “The British Empire did so much good for the world.
Of course slavery was abhorrent, but to expect the British people of the 21st century to pay for actions that took place in the 18th century has no basis in law.
If the government is seriously thinking about this, then former colonies should pay the British back for the considerable investment, effort and contribution that this country made, which laid the foundations for many flourishing democracies today.
Suella Braverman remarks come on the heels of Ghana and several African countries seeking reparative justice over the transatlantic slave trade and the effects of colonialism on African societies and the descendants of enslaved people.
In related news, the leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has boldly stated that Britain shouldn’t be paying for a crime they helped eradicate.
Kemi Badenoch expressed displeasure over the decision by the UK’s representative at the United Nations to abstain from the vote,
According to her, the UK’s representative should have taken a clear position by voting against the resolution.
Kemi Badenoch argued that Britain played a key role in ending slavery and should not be made to pay reparations for helping in ending the practice.
Kemi Badenoch in a post on X on March 26, 2026, “Russia, China and Iran vote with others to demand trillions in reparations from UK taxpayers…and the Labour government abstain! Britain led the fight to end slavery.
Why didn’t Starmer’s representative vote against this? Ignorance…or cowardice? We shouldn’t be paying for a crime we helped eradicate and still fight today.”
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom joined almost all the countries on the European continent and abstained from the slavery motion during the debate on the resolution at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, which saw 123 member states voting in favour.
According to the UK government, it could not support the resolution because at the time of the transatlantic slave trade, slavery was not illegal, and it objected to the assertion that slavery was the “greatest crime against humanity”.
The UK further explained that no single set of atrocities should be regarded as more or less significant than another.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has fired shots at critics against Ghana’s call for reparations to African countries over slavery, which was championed by him at the United Nations.
According to John Mahama, some critics are making Infantile arguments, suggesting that Africans were involved, so they shouldn’t talk about reparations.
Mahama highlighted that those arguments by critics are just trying to whittle down slavery, which has now been recognised as the gravest crime.
President Mahama detailed that, even when reparations were paid to slave owners for letting the slaves go, adding that even when the slave trade was abolished, slavemasters were compensated for letting their slaves go.
See the post below:
The British Empire did so much good for the world.
— Suella Braverman (@SuellaBraverman) July 3, 2026
Of course slavery was abhorrent but to expect the British people of the 21st century to pay for actions that took place in the 18th century has no basis in law.
If the government is seriously thinking about this then former… https://t.co/JWwDtdMEPj
