Why was slavery in the British Empire abolished?

Some people will say that it was due to a moral backlash against the practice of keeping slaves and that it was against Christian teaching on the equality of all men. William Wilberforce campaigned against slavery and eventually had it abolished by parliament.

However, economic circumstances change and what makes economic sense at one time does not make economic sense at another time. For example in years to come when people hardly drive their own cars they may say, "The people in the early 21st century were opposed to cars on environmental grounds and so they stopped driving them." People in the UK have reduced car use dramatically because petrol/gas is now more than GBP 5 per gallon (Approx USD10). In other Words the general population may behave in a way that is seen as good, but sometimes their motives are quite selfish.

What history says and what actually happened can depend on who is interpreting it.