UK government rules out slavery reparations as Jamaica presses its case

Britain has once again closed the door on slavery reparations, even as Jamaica prepares to take its demand directly to King Charles. Jamaican Culture Minister Olivia Grange is leading a delegation intended to advance Kingston’s call for reparations for the African ancestors who endured centuries of enslavement.

The British government’s position remains firm. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Downing Street office said, “Our position on reparations is clear, the UK does not and will not make reparations.” The spokesperson called the transatlantic slave trade abhorrent and said Britain should acknowledge the wrongs of the past while working with other countries on present-day challenges.

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Our position on reparations is clear, the UK does not and will not make reparations.

The Jamaican petition asks the king, who is Jamaica’s head of state, to refer three questions about the legality of the transatlantic slave trade to the Caribbean country’s highest court of appeal, the London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The delegation says this would be the first time a Commonwealth country has used that legal route to pursue reparations.

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The transatlantic slave trade was abhorrent and of course it’s right that we acknowledge the wrongs of the past, but we’ll continue to face forward and work with other countries on our current shared challenges.

Buckingham Palace said it understood that the Jamaican government was seeking a hearing before the committee. The palace also said the king had repeatedly expressed “his personal and wholehearted commitment to promoting greater understanding around the issue of slavery and finding ways to address historic wrongs for the benefit of communities today.” Modern British royals have expressed remorse over the slave trade, but have not offered a formal apology or committed to reparations.

Grange is also due to meet British Museum officials to discuss returning artefacts from the colonial era. King Charles and Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit the Caribbean later this year, but Jamaica is not included in their nine-day overseas trip.

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His personal and wholehearted commitment to promoting greater understanding around the issue of slavery and finding ways to address historic wrongs for the benefit of communities today.