Oxford theologian and peer says “illiberal” minorities are narrowing debate on colonial history, free speech, and assisted dying
Lord Nigel Biggar says he has been “cancelled” from speaking engagements three times in 2025, including a last-minute decision by a Dublin school to withdraw an invitation the night before he was due to fly.
Speaking on Premier Unbelievable: The Interview with Luke Martin, Biggar said he received an email at 10:38 pm from the headmaster, explaining that the chair of the board had instructed the school to cancel his visit. He says no explanation was given, either then or since.
“I was going to speak about the importance of free speech and the important role that schools play in forming young citizens who are capable of speaking freely and responsibly,” he said.
Biggar, an emeritus professor of theology at Christ Church, Oxford, and author of Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning and a newer book on reparations, believes the cancellations likely relate to his arguments about British colonial history and slavery reparations.
“Part of the truth… but it omits other truths”
Biggar says the “prevailing progressive story” depicts the British Empire as essentially “racism, slavery, exploitation and oppression”, leading to contemporary claims that Britain “owes” compensation to Caribbean and African nations.
His own case is that the story is more complex: empire and slavery were historically widespread; Britain abolished the slave trade and slavery comparatively early; and Britain later spent significant effort suppressing slavery across territories.
“I’m telling the positive part of the story the current prevailing narrative doesn’t want to hear,” he said, while insisting he is not denying abuses and wrongdoing.
When it comes to reparations, Biggar argues that time complicates moral claims: “An awful lot has happened in the intervening two centuries.” He also challenges the coherence of assigning responsibility across generations and points to varied outcomes among societies whose populations are largely descended from enslaved people.
Why now? Politics, identity, and “abusing history”
Biggar said his interest in imperial history sharpened during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, when he encountered what he describes as a political slogan: “Britain equals empire equals evil.”
He believes “colonial history was being used for political purposes”, and that the same dynamic is at play today in calls for large-scale reparations.
Christianity, mission, and the empire question
Biggar also pushed back on the claim that Christian missions functioned as straightforward “agents of empire”.
He said colonial officials often found missionaries “a nuisance”, partly because missionaries could stir local tensions that officials then had to manage — and because missionaries sometimes criticised imperial policy.
He rejected the idea that missionaries spread the Bible “at the point of a gun”, arguing many missionaries lived beyond the reach of colonial power, and that the growth of Christianity in Africa reflects African agency and choice.
Assisted dying: “I oppose this present attempt”
On the UK assisted dying legislation now in the Lords, Biggar described his position as more nuanced than some Christians. He said there may be extreme cases (for example, on battlefields) where euthanasia is morally justified, but he does not believe legalising assisted suicide in “normal circumstances” is wise.
He reported that, at the Lords’ second reading, “two thirds” of speakers opposed the bill, and that the number of amendments reflects concerns about safeguards. He also said support in the Commons appeared to weaken between stages, with the final margin significantly reduced.
Still, he cautioned against despair: “As a Christian, I think despair is forbidden.”
“Culture wars” and the costs of neutrality
Biggar also defended robust engagement in today’s “culture wars”, arguing that calls to remain above conflict can function as a permission slip for intimidation.
He cited the case of philosopher Kathleen Stock, who resigned from the University of Sussex after sustained pressure and campus protests over her gender-critical views. For Biggar, this illustrates why “being winsome is not enough” if institutional leaders fail to protect lawful speech.
He closed with a warning about silence in moments of social transition, quoting Martin Luther King Jr: “the greatest tragedy… was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
Nigel Biggar is an emeritus Professor of Theology at Christ Church, Oxford, an Anglican priest, and a member of the House of Lords. He is the author of Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning and writes widely on ethics, free speech, and public life.
