Jacob Hill

🚨JOG ON LENNY Sir Lenny Henry has renewed calls for a national conversation about slavery reparations, arguing that the issue cannot be measured solely in financial terms. Speaking about the long-term impact of Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, the comedian and campaigner said reparations should be viewed as part of a wider process of acknowledgement, justice and healing. Reflecting on the subject, he said that addressing the legacy of slavery could bring a “nationwide sigh of relief” over an issue that had “gone unspoken” for generations. Referencing findings from the Brattle Report, which estimated the economic cost of Britain’s involvement in slavery at around £18.6 trillion, Sir Lenny suggested that discussions about reparations are often avoided because of the scale of the figures involved. He said: “Once you start to break it down, it goes beyond getting a cash refund for slavery. It becomes about social engineering, and – it’s going to sound really touchy-feely – but it becomes about healing, and about spiritual healing, rather than just cash. It’s hundreds of years of being oppressed and downtrodden.” He also argued that the financial implications can make people reluctant to engage with the debate, saying: “It’s so huge they’re frightened, because actual reparations would cost trillions of pounds.” While acknowledging that meaningful change would take time, Sir Lenny said the discussion itself is important and could help shape future generations’ understanding of Britain’s history and its lasting consequences. He added: “These things take time. Look how long it took to abolish slavery – and to pay for slave owners’ loss of work and earnings. This is to try and push the dial so that the conversation might lead to something. That might take another 100 years, another 150 years.”