the Interest: How British Establishment Resisted Abolition of Slavery

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING* 'A critical piece of history and a devastating expose' Shashi Tharoor, author of Inglorious Empire 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, but for the next quarter of a century, despite heroic and bloody rebellions, more than 700,000 people in the British colonies remained enslaved. And when a renewed abolitionist campaign was mounted, making slave ownership the defining political and moral issue of the day, emancipation was fiercely resisted by the powerful 'West India Interest'. Supported by nearly every leading figure of the British establishment - including Canning, Peel and Gladstone, The Times and Spectator - the Interest ensured that slavery survived until 1833 and that when abolition came at last, compensation worth billions in today's money was given not to the enslaved but to the slaveholders, entrenching the power of their families to shape modern Britain to this day. Drawing on major new research, this long-overdue and ground-breaking history provides a gripping narrative account of the tumultuous and often violent battle that divided and scarred the nation during these years of upheaval. The Interest reveals the lengths to which British leaders went to defend the indefensible in the name of profit, showing that the ultimate triumph of abolition came at a bitter cost and was one of the darkest and most dramatic episodes in British history. *A DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020* 'Scintillating ... gripping ... compulsively readable' Guardian 'Fascinating ... riveting and first-rate' The Times 'A thoroughly researched and potent historical account' David Lammy MP

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