A high-stakes Commonwealth summit looms this month, with King Charles partly representing the UK Government in what could be a tense face-off. The gathering in Samoa may turn uncomfortable as 15 nations are set to demand a staggering £200 billion from Britain for historical wrongs.
The Caribbean coalition is pressing for the colossal sum as compensation for the enduring legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, which saw over two million individuals forcibly removed from their homes, shackled, and transported to British island colonies as slaves.
Yet, this hefty figure is dwarfed by further calculations of the debt owed to the descendants of enslaved people. Addressing the UN, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley revealed: “The numbers have been looked at and studied by many persons and the figures suggest a minimum of $5 trillion dollars..”
Expanding on the specifics, she added: “4.9 to be precise, is what it would be if we were to be similarly compensated across the board today.”
Barbados leads the charge within the 15-strong CARICOM group insisting on British reparations for a slave trade that spanned nearly 250 years, enriching numerous British traders and the state itself.
Barbados’ began as a British slave colony, when it enshrined the deplorable notion into law in 1661 that African people were deemed property, according to a report by the Independent. Over the following centuries before abolition, Britain and its monarchy reaped colossal profits by subjugating slaves on Caribbean plantations, cultivating sugar and tobacco that were subsequently sold in Britain.
Centuries on from this grave historical injustice, Barbados Prime Minister has brought the issue of reparations to the fore, reportedly broaching the subject with King Charles during a recent encounter at Buckingham Palace earlier this month, where according to sources, Mottley proposed recompense significantly exceeding £200bn.
The exact figure owed to countries affected by British slave-owning practices remains controversial; Reverend Dr Michael Banner, Dean of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, pegged the UK’s gain from the slave trade at about £205bn. On the other hand, some calculations make an even starker claim, such as the one posited last year by a judge at the International Court of Justice, a staggering £18 trillion due to 14 nations.
Yet, any expectations for amends are likely to be met with resistance from the UK establishment at the impending Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, taking place from October 21 to 26. Sir Keir Starmer notably responded to questions on Monday regarding the prospect of UK government reparations for slavery with a terse dismissal: “We do not pay reparations.”
While Britain was at the forefront of abolishing slavery and enforcing the end of the transatlantic slave trade, it’s worth noting that reparations for slavery have been paid in the past.
When this abhorrent act was abolished in the 19th century, Britain chose to compensate those who had owned slaves – shelling out £300 million in today’s money, equivalent to five per cent of the GDP, to former slave owners.
