Suella Braverman said ex-colonies should repay Britain for the empire’s 'investment'

Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has called for Britain’s former colonies to pay reparations to London for the “investment, effort and contribution” she claims the empire made in building them.

In a post on X, Braverman, a right-wing politician who defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK earlier this year, entered the reparations debate by declaring: “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," Braverman said. That claim is false. According to the British government, UK taxpayers were still paying off a £20m loan taken out in 1835 to compensate slave owners after abolition. The sum amounted to about 5 percent of the UK’s GDP at the time. In today’s money, that would be worth more than $3bn.

  • Zombie@feddit.uk
    19·
    13 days ago

    Now irrelevant far right politician tries to remain relevant by being controversial.

    She was a Tory in high office, the Tories lost power, and she conveniently defected to Reform just as they were gaining traction.

    Reform are the UK’s equivalent of MAGA, AfD, or National Rally.

    Ignore her and move on. She’s after outrage and attention. Deny her that which she desires.

  • SnarkoPolo
    6·
    13 days ago

    You got jazz from us, and you lot couldn’t play it right for decades.

    Thanks for Monty Python and tikka masala BTW.

  • skhayfa
    5·
    13 days ago

    Photo is a really good choice. This is crazy : “The UK government admitted in 2018 that it only finished repaying the loan in 2015, meaning British taxpayers spent generations servicing a debt created to compensate slave owners, not the enslaved.”