Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, has reiterated her stance that it is misguided for developing nations to attribute their underdevelopment solely to British colonialism.
The Nigerian-born British politician, who previously served as the UK’s Business and Trade Minister, made this assertion in a viral video in October. In the video, she criticized the narrative that the British Empire is entirely responsible for the socio-economic challenges faced by some former colonies.
In a recent statement, Badenoch argued that the UK should be recognized for its efforts in ending the transatlantic slave trade and not continuously vilified as the root cause of global underdevelopment. According to her, the legacy of colonialism has been overstated in justifying the failures of some developing nations.
She said: “There are many countries now who want to use guilt to try and exploit the UK. They asked for reparation. I saw it as a trade minister. It is not a culture war.
“I was at the WTO. I won’t name the minister from another country. And he was telling me we need to give up some of the things we were doing because of colonialism and they needed time to develop. These arguments are a scam. Don’t fall for it.
“We need to make sure we put this country first, we work well with our neighbours, we work well with other countries. But we have to look after ourselves.
“There are many things the British Empire got wrong but there are many amazing things the British Empire also did. We need to be honest about it and stop pretending that it was all bad. The British Empire ended slavery, the Atlantic slave trade. We need to talk about that more.”
Badenoch’s comments have sparked debates, with some praising her forthrightness and others questioning her perspective on the historical impacts of colonial rule.
Similarly, Kemi Badenoch made headlines in April for her bold statement that the UK’s wealth and economic success shouldn’t be attributed solely to its colonial history or racial privilege. This statement sparked controversy, adding to the list of times Badenoch has been at the centre of public debate.
The lawmaker said: “It worries me when I hear people talk about wealth and success in the UK as being down to colonialism or imperialism or white privilege or whatever.
“It matters, because if people genuinely believe that the UK only grew and developed into an advanced economy because of exploitation and oppression, then the solutions they will devise will make our growth and productivity problem even worse.
“It matters in other countries too, because if developing nations do not understand how the west became rich, they cannot follow in its footsteps.”
“And it matters when, as your trade secretary, I go to the World Trade Organization conference negotiating on the UK’s behalf, and some of my counterparts spend the entire time in meetings talking about colonialism, blame the west for their economic difficulties, and make demands that would make all of us – not just in this country, but around the world – poorer,” she added.
At a recent summit in Samoa, former British colonies renewed their call for slavery reparations from the UK government.
King Charles III acknowledged the painful legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, stating that it continues to resonate today. However, he avoided discussing financial reparations, instead encouraging leaders to focus on understanding history to inform future choices and address existing inequalities.
Earlier this week, the Chairman and CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, revealed that her office reached out to Kemi Badenoch, but received no response.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Dabiri-Erewa said Badenoch’s action shows that she is not willing to identify herself as a person of Nigerian lineage.
She stated that Nigeria would not compel the British politician to embrace her Nigerian roots if she chooses not to.
“It depends on whether she embraces her Nigerian identity. We reached out to her once or twice, but there was no response. We don’t force anyone to acknowledge being Nigerian,” she explained.
