The Interest

Michael Taylor’s The Interest is a gripping and revelatory history of the powerful coalition that fought to preserve slavery in Britain. Taylor exposes how politicians, businessmen, and institutions used legal and economic manoeuvres to maintain the slave system long after public opinion shifted. His research is meticulous, and his storytelling is vivid, showing how deeply slavery was woven into British wealth and politics. The book dismantles the comforting myth that Britain led the world in abolition out of moral virtue. Instead, Taylor reveals a story of resistance, hypocrisy, and self-interest. It is an essential corrective to the national narrative.