Slave Trader Register Links British Political Parties to Trafficking

The newly published Register of British Slave Traders reveals that the transatlantic slave trade was a state-backed operation supported by the ancestors of the modern Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. The research identifies more than 50 Tory and 50 Whig MPs as historic slave traders, many of whom held investments in the South Sea Company and the Royal African Company, the most prolific trafficking organization in the history of the trade.

While the Whigs generally shifted toward abolition in the late 18th century, Tory governments frequently delayed the process for decades. The findings highlight institutional ties between early British political factions and the trafficking of over 3 million enslaved African people.

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, opposed paying reparations for the historic enslavement, arguing that Britain led the fight to end the practice. Conversely, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called for full transparency regarding the history of the trade, describing it as an abominable crime against humanity. The CARICOM Reparations Commission has called on the Conservative Party to acknowledge this history to facilitate healing and reparations.