A former British minister says the territories that Britain colonised ought to pay reparations to London for the “investment, effort and contribution” that she claims the former slave empire made in building them.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who is of Indian descent, with parents who immigrated from Kenya and Mauritius, made a post on X saying: “Of course slavery was abhorrent but to expect the British people of the 21st century to pay for actions that took place in the 18th century has no basis in law.”

Braverman made the comments in response to another UK Member of Parliament, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who had reposted an article from The Guardian noting that Jamaica would be taking “the case for reparations directly to King Charles” later this year by lodging a formal petition.