As the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting approaches, a coalition of 15 Caribbean nations is set to make a historic demand for reparations related to the transatlantic slave trade. With King Charles III and Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the forefront of this pivotal moment, the Caribbean leaders, led by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, are advocating for a reckoning over the UK's colonial past. This article delves into the implications of these reparations demands, the historical context, and the ongoing discussions surrounding the legacy of slavery.
Britain’s King Charles III and Prime Minister Keir Starmer are facing demands to pay £200bn in reparation over their country’s role in the slave trade.
A group of Caribbean countries will demand reparations from the King and UK Prime Minister for the transatlantic slave trade when they attend a Commonwealth summit later this month.
The Mail Online reports: A group of 15 Caribbean governments has unanimously agreed to put slavery reparations on the table at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa on October 21.
It comes after the the Prime Minister of Barbados told the United Nations that reparations for slavery and colonialism should be part of a new ‘global reset’.
Mia Mottley, who is leading the demands from the West Indies nations, met the King in London earlier this month for talks in advance of the 56-nation Commonwealth gathering.
Ms Mottley has praised Charles for declaring two years ago that slavery is ‘a conversation whose time has come’, although Buckingham Palace declined to reveal the contents of their latest ‘private discussions’.
The calls come in the wake of the Prime Minister’s controversial decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius earlier this month, a move which has led to fears for the future of British control of other strategic territories including the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy – who is descended from enslaved people – has described how his ancestors heard ‘the twisted lies of imperialism as they were stolen from their homes in shackles and turned into slaves’.
He also controversially supported protesters who toppled the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol and dumped it into the harbour four years ago. Dozens of other memorials to traders and colonialists were removed in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.
stimates of the likely reparations bill for British involvement in slavery in 14 countries range from £206 billion to a staggering £19 trillion. The higher figure was cited last year by UN judge Patrick Robinson, who called it an ‘underestimation’ of the damage caused by the slave trade.
Mr Robinson said he was amazed that countries involved in slavery think they can ‘bury their heads in the sand’ on the issue, adding: ‘Once a state has committed a wrongful act, it’s obliged to pay reparations’.
The demands come amid increasing republican sentiment in the Caribbean. Ms Mottley removed the Queen as Barbados’s Head of State in 2021 and Jamaica has pledged to ditch the monarchy by next year.
Ms Mottley has described her country as ‘the home of modern racism’ thanks to British rule from 1625 and says the UK’s debt to her country is £3.7 trillion.
As of October 2023, the discussions about reparations are gaining momentum, especially in light of recent statements from Caribbean leaders at the UN. The push for reparations is intertwined with a broader movement towards acknowledging colonial histories, as seen with Barbados's removal of the Queen as Head of State. Additionally, Foreign Secretary David Lammy's remarks about the lasting impacts of imperialism underscore a growing acknowledgment of the need for reparative justice in the UK.