Reform UK has announced plans to block visa applications from countries\u2014including Nigeria\u2014that demand reparations from the United Kingdom if the party wins the next general election.<\/p>\n
The party\u2019s home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, said nations pushing for compensation over slavery were ignoring what he described as Britain\u2019s \u201chuge sacrifices\u201d in abolishing the trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 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,\u201d Yusuf stated.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cAstonishingly, of the countries demanding reparations, Tory and Labour governments issued 3.8million visas to their nationals and sent them a staggering \u00a36.6billion in foreign aid over the past two decades. Enough is enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Countries mentioned by the party include Nigeria, Jamaica, Kenya, Haiti, Guyana, Barbados and The Bahamas. <\/p>\n
Reform UK said it would immediately halt visa issuance to nationals of any country that formally pursues reparations claims against Britain.<\/p>\n
The proposal comes amid growing international calls for compensation over the transatlantic slave trade. The United Nations recently backed discussions around reparations, with a resolution describing the forced displacement of Africans as the \u201cgravest crime against humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The African Union has also been leading calls for \u201cgood faith dialogue on reparatory justice,\u201d including formal apologies, restitution and financial compensation from former colonial powers such as the UK.<\/p>\n
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage dismissed the push, criticising the UN and rejecting the idea of payments for historical injustices.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the British government has maintained its longstanding position. A Foreign Office spokesperson reiterated that while the UK recognises the \u201cabhorrence\u201d of slavery, it will not pay reparations. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also ruled out both an apology and compensation, stressing a focus on future relations rather than revisiting the past.<\/p>\n
Reform UK also pledged to reduce foreign aid spending to \u00a31 billion, marking a proposed 90 per cent cut, as part of its broader policy platform ahead of the elections.<\/p>\n