Slavery: Reform UK Mulls Visa Ban Against Nigerians, Others Seeking Reparations

One of the United Kingdom’s prominent opposition parties, Reform UK, has proposed imposing visa restrictions on Nigerians and citizens of several African and Caribbean nations following a recent United Nations resolution calling for reparations over the transatlantic slave trade.

The party’s Home Affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, revealed the proposal in an interview with the Daily Telegraph on Monday. He said that if the right-wing party comes to power, it would bar entry to nationals of countries actively demanding reparations from the UK for its role in slavery.

“A growing number of countries are demanding reparations from Britain. They ignore the fact that Britain made huge sacrifices to be the first major power to outlaw slavery and enforce this prohibition,” Mr Yusuf said.

He added, “Astonishingly, of the countries demanding reparations, Tory and Labour governments issued 3.8 million visas to their nationals and sent them a staggering £6.6billion in foreign aid over the past two decades. Enough is enough.”

Countries listed under the proposed restriction include Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, among others such as Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after the United Nations adopted a resolution recognising the transatlantic slave trade as one of the gravest crimes against humanity. The motion, put forward by Ghana and backed by several African and Caribbean states, received overwhelming support.

A total of 123 countries voted in favour of the resolution, which also called on nations to issue formal apologies for their roles in slavery and contribute financially toward reparations. The United Kingdom, alongside 51 other countries, abstained from the vote, while the United States, Argentina and Israel opposed it.

Meanwhile, a 2023 report authored by former International Court of Justice judge, Patrick Robinson, estimated that the UK could owe up to $24 trillion in reparations to 14 affected countries.

“The United Kingdom is not an ATM for ethnic grievances of the past, and we will no longer tolerate being ridiculed on the world stage. While countries like Jamaica, Nigeria and Ghana ramp up their demands for reparations, the Westminster establishment has rewarded them. Enough is enough,” Mr Yusuf said.