Nigel Farage's Reform UK party has proposed denying visas to citizens of countries that are demanding reparations for transatlantic slavery — a move the Caribbean reparations commission has swiftly condemned as a "legacy of toxic racism." According to Antigua News Room, the announcement has drawn sharp international criticism.
Reform UK, an anti-immigration populist party that holds only eight seats in the British Parliament but is currently leading opinion polls ahead of a general election due by 2029, said it would "block visa requests from any country that demands slavery reparations." The policy would affect Commonwealth nations that are former territories of the British empire, including Ghana and Jamaica.
Zia Yusuf, Reform's home affairs policy chief, described reparations calls as "insulting," arguing they "ignore the fact that Britain made huge sacrifices to be the first major power to outlaw slavery and enforce this prohibition."
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the African Union, and several Latin American nations have long called for reparations — not only to acknowledge historical injustices but to address their lasting consequences, including racial disparities and economic underdevelopment. Momentum behind these calls has grown in recent years, though backlash has also intensified.
Several Western leaders have opposed even discussing the subject, arguing that present-day states and institutions should not bear responsibility for historical actions. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he would prefer to "look forward" rather than engage in "endless discussions about reparations on the past."
Hilary Beckles, chair of the CARICOM-backed reparations commission, urged Reform to "rethink" its position, calling it "tragic" that people he characterised as seeking justice would instead face punishment.
"Punishing the victims again is in fact consistent with those people at the time of emancipation who did not wish to see the African people freed," Beckles said at a news conference. He added that the "legacy of toxic racism… is still so intense that Black people are deemed undeserving" of reparations.
Reform UK did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, the United Nations adopted a resolution proposed by Ghana declaring transatlantic slavery the "gravest crime against humanity" and calling for reparations. Former colonial powers, including Britain, abstained from the vote.
