the Interest: How British Establishment Resisted Abolition of Slavery

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITINGA DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR For two hundred years, the abolition of slavery in Britain has been a cause for self-congratulation - but no longer. In 1807, Parliament outlawed the slave trade in the British Empire. Discover how the campaign to end slavery divided Britain and was almost thwarted by some of the most powerful and famous figures of the era.**SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING**In 1807, Parliament outlawed the slave trade in the British Empire. But for the next 25 years more than 700,000 people remained enslaved, due to the immensely powerful pro-slavery group the 'West India Interest'.This ground-breaking history discloses the extent to which the 'Interest' were supported by nearly every figure of the British establishment - fighting, not to abolish slavery, but to maintain it for profit. Gripping and unflinching, The Interest is the long-overdue exposé of one of Britain's darkest, most turbulent times.A DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR'Scintillating . . . compulsively readable' Guardian'A magnificent book . . . riveting' Evening Standard'A critical piece of history and a devastating exposé' Shashi Tharoor, author of Inglorious Empire'Thoroughly researched and potent' David Lammy MP'Essential reading' Simon Sebag Montefiore

For 200 years, the abolition of slavery in Britain has been a cause for self-congratulation but no longer. Drawing on new research, this long-overdue history shows that the triumph of abolition was one of the darkest episodes in British history, revealing the lengths to which British leaders went to defend the indefensible in the name of profit.