U.K. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has criticized Britain’s decision to abstain from a United Nations resolution on slavery, saying the country should have voted against it.
The resolution, introduced by Ghana and adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, recognizes the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity and calls for global efforts toward reparative justice, including the creation of a reparations framework.
Britain joined 51 other countries largely from Europe in abstaining. In a post on X, Badenoch questioned the government’s stance, warning that the measure could expose British taxpayers to significant financial demands.
“Russia, China and Iran vote with others to demand trillions in reparations from U.K. taxpayers … and the Labour government abstain!” she wrote. “Britain led the fight to end slavery. Why didn’t Starmer’s representative vote against this? Ignorance … or cowardice? We shouldn’t be paying for a crime we helped eradicate and still fight today.”
The resolution passed with 123 votes in favor. The United States, Israel and Argentina voted against it, while 52 countries abstained, including the U.K. and several European Union member states.
Although not legally binding, General Assembly resolutions carry significant moral and political weight. The measure urges nations to acknowledge their roles in the slave trade, consider issuing formal apologies, and support initiatives such as a global reparations fund.
Ahead of the vote, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama framed the resolution as a moral imperative tied to historical accountability.
“Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of the slave trade and those who continue to suffer racial discrimination,” Mahama told the assembly. “The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting. It also challenges the enduring scars of slavery.”
Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the push for reparations is rooted in justice rather than personal gain.
