The leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, says Britain should have voted against the UN resolution, which described slavery as the greatest crime against humanity and demanded slavery reparations from former colonial authorities.
Ms Badenoch, who is of Nigerian origin, criticised the UK for abstaining from voting on the resolution, which, according to her, demanded trillions from British taxpayers as reparations for slavery.
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In a post on X, she said, “Russia, China, and Iran vote with others to demand trillions in reparations from UK taxpayers…and the Labour government abstain!
“Why didn’t Starmer’s representative vote against this? Ignorance…or cowardice?”
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PREMIUM TIMES reported that the UN General Assembly voted to recognise the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity.
Ghana introduced the resolution to the assembly and urged the establishment of a reparations fund to repair the damage caused by the slave trade. It, however, did not fix any amount for the reparations. The resolution also asked states to consider apologising for the slave trade.
The resolution received overwhelming support at the general assembly, with 123 member states voting in favour.
Only three countries voted against it: Argentina, Israel, and the US, while 52 countries — primarily European countries— abstained from voting. This includes Britain, Portugal, and Spain, which were, arguably, most guilty of the slave trade and colonialism. Nigeria and other African countries voted in support of the resolution.
The transatlantic slave trade represents one of the darkest chapters in human history, marked by the systematic exploitation, displacement, and dehumanisation of millions of Africans.
An estimated 15 million Africans were forcibly transported across the Atlantic between the 15th and 19th centuries. Many died during the Middle Passage, while survivors were subjected to forced labour and systemic abuse in the West.
However, Ms Badenoch said the UK, which colonised several African countries, including Nigeria, should not have to pay reparations because it contributed to the eradication of the slave trade.
“Britain led the fight to end slavery. We shouldn’t be paying for a crime we helped eradicate and still fight today,” she noted.
Although born in Wimbledon, South West London, Ms Badenoch lived in Lagos, Nigeria, and then in the US, where her mother, a physiology professor, lectured.
The Tory leader was born in 1980, 20 years after Britain granted Nigeria independence, to two Nigerian parents.
Ms Badenoch returned to the UK at the age of 16 to live with a friend of her mother to study for her A-levels.
She is known for making unpleasant comments about Nigeria since she was elected the Tory leader in 2024.
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PREMIUM TIMES reports that last Year, she declared she no longer identifies as Nigerian. She also made false claims about her Nigerian identity.
She referred to herself as “Yoruba, not Nigerian,” and at one point said she had “nothing in common with the people from the north of the country,” referring to northern Nigerians.
She has repeatedly described her experiences in Nigeria as one plagued by corruption and dysfunction.
She said she grew up seeing “what happens when politicians are in it for themselves, using public money as their private piggy banks.”
