Piers Morgan rips apart Lenny Henry's £18tn 'reparation' demand with four words

Piers Morgan has taken aim at Sir Lenny Henry after the comedian issued a bold call to action for the government. In his new book, The Big Payback, co-authored with TV executive and diversity campaigner Marcus Ryder, Sir Lenny argues that all Black British people should receive slavery reparations funded by the taxpayer. The book proposes that the UK pay £18 trillion in compensation, not only to Caribbean nations but also to British citizens. In one excerpt, the 67-year-old said that "all Black British people... need reparations for slavery," adding: "We personally deserve money for the effects of slavery."

He justified the demand by arguing that modern-day racism, including institutional racism within police forces, can be traced back to the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. But the proposal was criticised by Piers, who took to X to share his views.

He wrote: "So, Britain will be instantly and irrevocably bankrupted, condemning everyone, of all skin colours, to abject poverty, and thus achieving Utopian racial and social equality."

The presenter added: "Great idea, Sir Lenny!"

Sir Lenny argued that the UK should pay an unspecified sum to its Black population as compensation for the "effects of slavery".

The idea was also slammed by LBC host Nick Ferrari, who pointed out the financial toll it would take on the UK.

He declared: "Just a quick comment on Lenny Henry arguing that Britain should pay - get ready for this - £18trillion in reparations to black people because of slavery. That would bankrupt the country many times over."

In the book, Sir Lenny explored potential methods for generating such a vast sum, which amounts to roughly seven times the UK's gross domestic product of £2.7 trillion.

He 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".

Faber is set to publish the book on October 9, with the authors arguing that the UK has a moral obligation to pay trillions in reparations, funds they claim can and should be used to help "rid the world of racism".

The book maintains that reparations must go beyond financial compensation, insisting they are necessary to "dismantle the foundations" of Western societies built on slavery and racism, in order to construct "new foundations" rooted in equality and justice.