Key facts
- Former UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has called for former British colonies to pay reparations to Britain.
- Braverman claimed the British Empire invested in its colonies, laying foundations for democracies.
- She argued that current generations should not be held liable for historical actions.
- The UK government took out a loan in 1835 to compensate slave owners, which taxpayers repaid until 2015.
- Research indicates Britain extracted approximately $45 trillion from India during colonial rule.
Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has ignited controversy by suggesting that Britain's former colonies should pay reparations to London for the empire's alleged 'investment' and 'contribution' to their development.
Braverman, who recently defected to the Reform UK party, stated on X that while slavery was 'abhorrent,' the idea of 21st-century Britons paying for 18th-century actions lacks legal basis. She further posited that if reparations were to be considered, former colonies should reciprocate by repaying Britain for the 'considerable investment, effort and contribution' that supposedly laid the groundwork for many of today's democracies.
Her remarks were made in response to Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who had shared an article suggesting Jamaica should formally petition King Charles for reparations. Ribeiro-Addy countered Braverman's stance by noting the increasing difficulty for British institutions to ignore calls for reparations.
The article refutes Braverman's claim of British 'investment' for the benefit of the colonised, asserting that colonial economies were structured for resource extraction. It cites research by economist Utsa Patnaik, which estimates Britain looted approximately $45 trillion from India alone during its colonial rule.
Braverman's comments, made by a politician of Indian heritage whose parents migrated from former British colonies, immediately faced criticism online. Users on X argued that the British Empire 'stole' wealth and resources rather than investing in its colonies.