Wealthy donors and right-wing allies mobilise to block the Church of England's £100 million reparations fund
A coalition of Conservative figures, hedge-fund billionaire Paul Marshall and allied media outlets is campaigning to stop the Church of England’s £100 million slavery-reparations scheme, causing legal delays and public controversy.
The Church of England’s plan to allocate £100 million from its £11.6 billion endowment to a reparations fund has been met with a concerted assault led by retired professor and Conservative peer Nigel Biggar and MP Katie Lam, who argue the scheme is a “virtue-signalling” vanity project. Their criticism is amplified by a network of media properties owned by hedge-fund founder Paul Marshall, including one outlet, GB News and one outlet, and by right-wing think-tanks such as Policy Exchange.
Marshall’s charitable Sequoia Trust has also financed organisations linked to the campaign, while a pending judicial review threatens to further delay the fund’s establishment. Church officials, including Archbishop Sarah Mullally and oversight chair Rosemarie Mallett, insist the fund will not divert money from parishes, which have seen a 36 % rise in funding. The controversy reflects broader cultural battles over historical accountability and the role of wealthy donors in shaping public discourse.
Why it matters
The dispute shows how powerful donors can influence religious institutions and public debate over historical reparations.
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