Reform UK says it would block visas from countries seeking slavery reparations

Great.

Could this signal a return to form for Reform after drifting towards becoming Tories 2.0?

It seems Restore UK are keeping them honest.

Slavery reparations are a bigger scam than the BLM movement. Given the huge non white population in Britain today it's also ironic that people want the taxes of black and brown residents of Britain spent on this nonsense.

Any Brit calling for this should be charged with treason.

Another Farage mirage.

Easy promises of stuff he can’t deliver, and when he fails to do so he’ll deny ever making any such promise.

A ridiculous response to a ridiculous demand for reparations.

Visas should be issued upon a basis of individual eligibility, not on the half-baked policy of the person's government. Otherwise if this were to become an established principle, Britoms, Americans, and others, might be restricted as to travel destinations.

In 1772 an English court determined that slavery did not, and never had, existed in English law, and moreover that a person purchased abroad as a slave and then brought to England could not be removed from England against his will.

In 1807 Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act which outlawed the trade of slaves but not slavery itself. However, the imposition of fines did little to deter slave owners and traders who had great financial incentives in continuing the practice. In 1811, the Slave Trade Felony Act helped to curb this practice somewhat.

In 1808 the West Africa Squadron of the Royal Navy was formed to suppress the transatlantic slave trade by patrolling the coasts of West Africa. It operated until 1867, seizing around 1,600 ships and freeing approximately 150,000 Africans who were destined for slavery.

In 1833 Britain abolished slavery throughout its overseas possessions by Act of Parliament. Compare that to other countries, including Arab countries, and those with native African rulers (who sold to the European slave-traders).

In the early 1600s communities in coastal areas of south-west England, Wales, and Ireland were subjected to frequent slave raids by Barbary pirates. The same continued to be true of villages along the coasts of the Iberian Peninsular, Southern France and Italy, causing economic destitution of the affected regions. Until the time when France started to colonise North Africa in the 1830s.

Whatever the merits of the call for repatriations - and I remain unconvinced - this is indeed, a "desperate gimmick". It is also rank hypocrisy from a party which purports to extol national sovereignty and free speech.

Given the list of countries demanding reparations this policy would appear to have many benefits.

Nice one Nige.

One benefit of these demands is that Lenny Henry is finally getting some laughs. Not the type he's looking for obviously.

4 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Any Brit calling for this should be charged with treason.

Oh dear, you do rather reveal an absolutely fundemental misunderstanding of what constitutes and always has constituted treason - rather ironic really for one who trades so heavily on "restoring" and "reforming" the United Kingdom.

Decades ago there were a particulary unsavoury collection of Ulster protestant/loyalist politicians, exemplified by Ian Paisley, who delighted in bellowing accusations of treason at anyone who did not accept their particularly bigoted views. All they really did was make themselves ridiculous outside their enclaves in Belfast! By hitching yourself to their somewhat decrepit bandwagon you are making yourself look equally ridiculous.

Incidentally, and I am sure this will infuriate you coming from a liberal leaning conservative, I think the whole reparations for slavery business is a bloody silly idea, and nothing more than an attempt to grab cash by a collection of politicians, both UK and foreign. A view reflected across a broad spectrum of UK political opinion.

12 hours ago, ericbj said:

A ridiculous response to a ridiculous demand for reparations.

Visas should be issued upon a basis of individual eligibility, not on the half-baked policy of the person's government. Otherwise if this were to become an established principle, Britoms, Americans, and others, might be restricted as to travel destinations.

In 1772 an English court determined that slavery did not, and never had, existed in English law, and moreover that a person purchased abroad as a slave and then brought to England could not be removed from England against his will.

In 1807 Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act which outlawed the trade of slaves but not slavery itself. However, the imposition of fines did little to deter slave owners and traders who had great financial incentives in continuing the practice. In 1811, the Slave Trade Felony Act helped to curb this practice somewhat.

In 1808 the West Africa Squadron of the Royal Navy was formed to suppress the transatlantic slave trade by patrolling the coasts of West Africa. It operated until 1867, seizing around 1,600 ships and freeing approximately 150,000 Africans who were destined for slavery.

In 1833 Britain abolished slavery throughout its overseas possessions by Act of Parliament. Compare that to other countries, including Arab countries, and those with native African rulers (who sold to the European slave-traders).

In the early 1600s communities in coastal areas of south-west England, Wales, and Ireland were subjected to frequent slave raids by Barbary pirates. The same continued to be true of villages along the coasts of the Iberian Peninsular, Southern France and Italy, causing economic destitution of the affected regions. Until the time when France started to colonise North Africa in the 1830s.

Slavery within the Empire wasn't fully abolished until 1937

https://hansard.parliament.uk/%E2%80%8CCommons/1937-07-21/debates/43fd70df-4923-4607-a2e3-3e17619cde09/AdenProtectorate(Slaves)

And while there is focus on Africa/Middle East, this debate reveals concerns over rivial of a system in Hong Kong

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1937-03-01/debates/39686947-bfb7-486b-9686-538aa4481ccd/Muitsai(CommissionSReport)

Its interesting that the Minister tried to claim the Miu Tsai were not slaves, when in fact they were.

It wasn't until 2010, that it was made a criminal offence to hold someone in slavery, in the UK. This followed the discovery of modern day slaves in a Travellers camp in Bedfordshire. Men, mostly homeless, had been held in terrible conditions and forced to work for no pay. The people who held them could only be charged with false imprisonment. This lead to a revision in the Coroners and Justice Act in 2010, to tack on a new offence of slavery. In 2015, this was replaced by the Modern Slavery Act. Outside of the UK, slavery in the Empire did assume legal status, so laws were passed to abolish it. But slavery had no legal meaning in the UK, so there was nothing to abolish.

Muslims still keep slaves. So do Hindus.

In defense of now cowardly Britain, all these primitive places that have become a part of the modern world are because of the Brits. Reparations are stupid.

12 hours ago, JAG said:

Oh dear, you do rather reveal an absolutely fundemental misunderstanding of what constitutes and always has constituted treason - rather ironic really for one who trades so heavily on "restoring" and "reforming" the United Kingdom.

Well, bankrupting the nation state by spurious calls for reparations could be considered treasonous.

1 hour ago, Yagoda said:

Muslims still keep slaves. So do Hindus.

In defense of now cowardly Britain, all these primitive places that have become a part of the modern world are because of the Brits. Reparations are stupid.

Close to 50 million humans are slaves in 2026.

This is outrageous. These poor, oppressed people should be compensated for all the harm the West has done to them. It's time to provide substantial reparations to those who have been affected. I propose implementing a wealth tax on Western nations to accomplish this goal.

4 hours ago, Yagoda said:

Muslims still keep slaves. So do Hindus.

In defense of now cowardly Britain, all these primitive places that have become a part of the modern world are because of the Brits. Reparations are stupid.

Exactly.

We formally ended slavery and it cost us a fortune.

They should be paying us.

7 hours ago, Roadsternut said:

Slavery within the Empire wasn't fully abolished until 1937

https://hansard.parliament.uk/%E2%80%8CCommons/1937-07-21/debates/43fd70df-4923-4607-a2e3-3e17619cde09/AdenProtectorate(Slaves)

And while there is focus on Africa/Middle East, this debate reveals concerns over rivial of a system in Hong Kong

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1937-03-01/debates/39686947-bfb7-486b-9686-538aa4481ccd/Muitsai(CommissionSReport)

Its interesting that the Minister tried to claim the Miu Tsai were not slaves, when in fact they were.

It wasn't until 2010, that it was made a criminal offence to hold someone in slavery, in the UK. This followed the discovery of modern day slaves in a Travellers camp in Bedfordshire. Men, mostly homeless, had been held in terrible conditions and forced to work for no pay. The people who held them could only be charged with false imprisonment. This lead to a revision in the Coroners and Justice Act in 2010, to tack on a new offence of slavery. In 2015, this was replaced by the Modern Slavery Act. Outside of the UK, slavery in the Empire did assume legal status, so laws were passed to abolish it. But slavery had no legal meaning in the UK, so there was nothing to abolish.

Thank you for that information. Yes, not good. But note:

"British protectorates were … governed by indirect rule. … British protected states represented a more loose form of British suzerainty, where the local rulers retained absolute control over the states' internal affairs and the British exercised control over defence and foreign affairs."

There were other exceptions to the 1833 Act, notably in those extensive parts of India ruled over (until 1857) by the East India Company. Probably for fear of setting alight local indignation at suppression of local customs. The same reason that the British Government, despite disapproval, never outlawed suttee.