Tory MP from slave-owning family set to gain £3m from sale of former plantation

The move has angered many Barbadians, especially those who say the Drax family played a pivotal role in the development of slavery-based sugar production and the Barbados slave code in the 17th century.

In December 2020, the Observer revealed that Drax had taken control of the 250-hectare plantation on his father’s death in 2017 but he had not declared this in the UK MPs’ register of interests.

Photograph: Juliet Highet/Art Directors/AlamyHistorian Prof Sir Hilary Beckles has described Drax Hall as a “crime scene” where tens of thousands of Africans died in terrible conditions.

In 2022, the Observer reported that Drax, the MP for South Dorset, travelled to Barbados to meet prime minister Mia Mottley.

Mottley’s spokesperson said the current Drax Hall purchase was not linked to reparations and the government “constantly acquires land through this process”.

Barbados housing minister Dwight Sutherland, whose constituency in St George parish includes Drax Hall, said: “This is an acquisition process at market value.