Sir Lenny Henry has sparked a heated debate after arguing that every black individual in Britain should be paid slavery reparations. In a book co-written by the comedian titled The Big Payback, the comedian and racism advocate argues the UK should shell out £18trillion in compensation – not only to Caribbean nations, but also to British citizens.
In his forthcoming book, co-authored with TV executive and charity boss Marcus Ryder, the pair argue the reparations are not only justly deserved, but are also a necessity for “ridding the world of racism”. Writing in the book, Sir Lenny stated that “all black British people… need reparations for slavery”, adding: “We personally deserve”money for the effects of slavery.”
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According to the latest figures, the majority of Britain’s 2.4 million black population are of African descent, rather than being descendants of slaves in the Caribbean.
The book, which is set to be published by Faber on October 9, sidesteps this distinction, instead arguing that modern racism – which it links to the slave trade – affects all black people.
Based on this reasoning the authors declare that compensation should go to all black people.
Sir Lenny insists that “the reason we have racism today and also… why black British people are grossly over-represented in the prison population”, plus other inequalities like unemployment being higher among black people, are “all because of the transatlantic slave trade”.
