Boris Johnson Rejects Slave Trade Reparations Campaign
Boris Johnson criticized financial reparations for the transatlantic slave trade as insane, citing his own ancestor's history as a slave in Istanbul.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticized the campaign for financial reparations related to the 18th-century transatlantic slave trade in a Daily Mail column. He described the push for compensation as "not just morally wrong, but insane."
Johnson revealed that his great-great-grandmother was a Circassian refugee sold as a slave in Istanbul. He used this personal history to challenge the logic of reparations, asking if he should receive a "sudden wodge of cash" in compensation for the injustice his ancestor suffered, though he stated he neither expects nor wants such payment.
These comments follow a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting where Prime Minister Andy Burnham declared the summit a success. During the meeting, the Government of the United Kingdom agreed to enter structured talks regarding the historical harms caused by the slave trade.
