Badenoch Rejects Slave Trade Apology, Says African Kingdoms Also Profited From Slavery

Britain’s Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has rejected calls for the United Kingdom to issue a fresh formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, arguing that African kingdoms, rulers and merchants also participated in and profited from the trade.

Badenoch said it would be unfair to focus exclusively on Britain’s involvement while overlooking the role played by African authorities and traders who captured, sold and supplied enslaved people.

Her comments have reignited debate over Britain’s historical responsibility for slavery, following renewed calls for an official apology ahead of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda.

In a statement published on her X account on Saturday, October 31, the Conservative Party leader argued that slavery was a global evil involving people from different continents, insisting that Britain’s role in abolishing the transatlantic slave trade should also be recognised.

She challenged Caribbean countries demanding a formal apology from Britain to consider whether similar demands should be directed at descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who participated in capturing and selling enslaved Africans.

“If Caribbean countries are asking Britain for a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, will they also be asking the same of the descendants of African kingdoms, rulers and merchants who captured, sold and profited from the trade?” she asked.

Badenoch also rejected demands for slavery reparations, whether through direct financial compensation or debt relief, arguing that present-day British taxpayers should not be held financially responsible for events that occurred generations ago.

She described the renewed push for an apology as a distraction from more pressing economic and security challenges facing Commonwealth countries.

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According to her, the Commonwealth should concentrate on strengthening economic partnerships, improving prosperity and deepening military and security cooperation rather than repeatedly revisiting historical grievances.

Badenoch also questioned whether British leaders should continue attending Commonwealth summits if such meetings increasingly became platforms for demands for financial compensation.

She maintained that Britain had already expressed regret over its historical involvement in the slave trade, referring to comments made by former Prime Minister Tony Blair nearly two decades ago.

However, the distinction between an expression of regret and a formal state apology remains central to the current debate. The Associated Press reported that Britain has never formally apologised for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.

The debate intensified after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham indicated that his government was open to discussing a formal apology ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting scheduled to take place in Antigua and Barbuda.

In an article published in The Guardian, Burnham described the slave trade as a grave historical injustice and argued that Britain needed to confront both its involvement in human trafficking and its subsequent role in abolition.

He, however, ruled out direct financial reparations, proposing instead that Britain could work with other wealthy countries and investors to help poorer Commonwealth nations restructure their debts on more favourable terms.

Burnham also indicated that former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown would assist with the proposed debt-restructuring initiative.

The proposal received a cautious welcome from Caribbean leaders, who have long demanded acknowledgement, reparatory justice and compensation for the consequences of slavery.

The Caribbean Community, known as CARICOM, said an apology would represent an important first step but warned that an apology without meaningful reparative measures would remain incomplete.

Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and CARICOM chairman, welcomed Burnham’s willingness to discuss the issue but maintained that Caribbean countries were seeking a broader response.

Their demands include investment in education and healthcare, development programmes for Indigenous communities, debt cancellation, repatriation and financial compensation.

King Charles III, who is currently visiting the Caribbean, has also acknowledged the suffering and injustices associated with the region’s history of slavery, although he has not announced a formal apology or reparations.

Historically, Britain became involved in the transatlantic slave trade in the 16th century and eventually emerged as one of its largest operators. According to the Associated Press, British traders transported more than three million Africans across the Atlantic.

The British Parliament outlawed the slave trade in 1807, while slavery was abolished across most of the British Empire in 1833.

Although British abolitionists played a significant role in the campaign against slavery, Britain’s earlier participation in the trade and the economic benefits derived from it remain central to demands for historical accountability.

The disagreement between Badenoch and Burnham therefore reflects a wider debate over whether Britain’s historical acknowledgement of slavery should extend to a formal apology and what responsibilities, if any, should follow such an apology.