UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has kicked against calls for Britain to pay reparations for years of exploitation of Nigeria and other African countries during the slave trade era.

The Nigerian-born Tory leader lashed out at UK officials for not voting against a United Nations resolution that Britain and other former colonial powers should pay reparations for slavery.

“Russia, China and Iran vote with others to demand trillions in reparations from UK taxpayers…and the Labour government abstain!” Mrs Badenoch said in a post on her X page on Thursday.

Despite historical evidence that Britain’s economy thrived on slaves from Africa and other continents during the Atlantic slave trade, Mrs Badenoch claimed, “Britain led the fight to end slavery.”

The Tory leader suggested that Africans and other victims deserve no reparation but should be grateful to Britain for eradicating the slave trade.

“We shouldn’t be paying for a crime we helped eradicate and still fight today,” Mrs Badenoch said, asking, “Why didn’t Starmer’s representative vote against this? Ignorance…or cowardice?”

On Wednesday, Nigeria joined Ghana and 121 UN Member States to adopt a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity.

The resolution proposed by Ghana was passed in the United Nations General Assembly Hall on Wednesday, with 123 countries voting in favour of the declaration, which also urged UN members to apologise for the atrocities and to contribute funds for reparations.