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.

The comments come as multiple former colonies across the Commonwealth demand reparations for hundreds of years of unpaid labour carried out during chattel slavery perpetuated by the British Empire.

“If the government is seriously thinking about this, then former colonies should pay the British back for the considerable investment, effort and contribution that this country made, which laid the foundations for many flourishing democracies today,” Braverman said.

A report from Middle East Eye noted that, according to the British government, up to 2015 UK taxpayers were still paying off a £20 million loan taken out in 1835 to compensate slave owners after abolition. Today, that would be worth more than US$3 billion.