Nigel Farage has declared that the United Nations holds "no legitimacy over this country whatsoever," launching a scathing attack on the international body following a vote on slavery reparations.
Speaking to GB News, the Reform UK leader took aim at what he described as unwarranted interference in British affairs, pointing specifically to recent UN positions on historical matters.
The United Nations has voted for the UK to give up trillions of pounds in "reparations" for the transatlantic slave trade.
A resolution tabled by Ghana on behalf of the African Union called for Britain to begin "good-faith dialogue on reparatory justice, including a full and formal apology, measures of restitution, compensation".
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The vote passed in the UN General Assembly with 124 votes to three, with the UK abstaining from the vote, alongside 51 other countries.
Campaigners have claimed packages could be worth trillions of pounds - while the resolution condemned the historical slave trade as the "gravest crime against humanity".
Reacting to the vote, Mr Farage told GB News: "It was a UN court that gave an advisory judgment to give away the Chagos Islands.
"And it is now the United Nations telling us we should go bankrupt, to apologise for what people did in 1775 or whatever it might have been. Forget it."
Nigel Farage has expressed his outrage at calls for the UK to pay slavery reparations
|GB NEWS
Mr Farage extended his criticism beyond the UN itself, arguing that Britain should withdraw from the World Health Organisation entirely.
He argued: "The UN has no legitimacy over this country whatsoever.
"And add to that other elements like the World Health Organisation, which I don't believe we should be a part of at all."
The Reform UK leader characterised the treatment Britain receives from the UN as hostile and unacceptable.
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The United Nations ruling is seen as the first step to establishing reparations on the international stage | GETTY"Frankly, we're being kicked in the teeth repeatedly by the United Nations, treated abusively.
"We shouldn't be giving them money, it's quite simple," Mr Farage told GB News.
Argentina, Israel and the United States were the only nations to oppose the measure outright.
The majority of European Union member states, including Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands – all of which participated in the transatlantic slave trade – opted to abstain rather than vote either way.
Mr Farage told GB News
|GB NEWS
A Foreign Office spokesman acknowledged the gravity of the historical injustice while maintaining the Government's firm stance.
"The transatlantic slave trade was abhorrent. We recognise its horrific impacts and the ongoing strength of feeling it arouses," the spokesman said.
The Government emphasised its commitment to building "respectful, long-term partnerships with African countries, rooted in mutual respect, that deliver real change for people's lives".
However, the spokesman was unequivocal on the central question: "The UK's position on reparations is clear – we will not pay them."