Ex-Tory MP Threatens University of Cambridge With Lawsuit

Antoinette Sandbach, a former Tory MP, believes she was singled out in an online Ted talk given by a researcher who has been exploring his family’s history of slavery for the past 20 years. She threatened the University of Cambridge with a lawsuit after Malik Al Nasir claimed that she was a descendant of Samuel Sandbach and beneficiary of his estate. 

Sandbach says she supports and appreciates Al Nasir’s work but feels that she has been singled out. She believes there is no public interest in identifying her as Samuel Sandbach’s descendant. The politician told BBC that over half the estate was sold in the 30s and pointed out that land owned by the family today had been added to and developed since the 1960s. Sandbach added that Hafodunos Farms Limited was established by her father in the 1970s and it’s unclear as to how he came into possession of the land and cottages. 

The former MP has questioned Al Nasir’s research and accuracy of elements. The historian says his cultural identity has been obscured by slavery and colonialism. “Searching for my roots, I uncovered the connection to these people. The fact that Antoinette Sandbach descends directly from Samuel Sandbach, one of the richest and most prolific slave merchants in Britain, in the 18^th and 19^th century, is a fact that emerged from the research. The fact that I mentioned that as a footnote to a talk that I gave online does not constitute an attack on the individual. It’s merely a statement of historical facts and a matter of public record.” 

Al Nasir said he is being pressured to remove the reference of Antoinette Sandbach in his work. He highlighted that he has responded to the allegations of factual inaccuracies directly to his PhD supervisor. The former MP for Eddisbury in Cheshire’s request to have her name removed was rejected on the grounds of academic freedom.