King Charles III and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to face unprecedented demands for reparations totaling $261 billion during the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. These calls for compensation stem from Britain's historical involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, and the push is being spearheaded by Caribbean nations, with Barbados taking the lead. The demand comes amid growing global momentum to reckon with the legacy of slavery and colonialism.
Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, has been a key advocate for reparations, recently emphasizing at the United Nations that the time has come to address the matter. During her recent visit to London, Mottley met with King Charles ahead of the 56-nation summit and praised him for acknowledging the gravity of the issue, calling it "a conversation whose time has come." While Buckingham Palace has not revealed the details of the discussions, the meeting underscores the increasing pressure the UK faces regarding its colonial past.
King Charles has expressed personal sorrow over Britain's involvement in slavery. Last year, during a Commonwealth reception in Rwanda, he remarked, "I cannot describe the depths of my personal sorrow at the suffering of so many, as I continue to deepen my own understanding of slavery's enduring impact." The monarch has since supported efforts to explore the British monarchy's links to the transatlantic slave trade, with a royal archive providing key historical evidence. This includes a recently uncovered 17th-century ledger showing that King William III was given shares in the Royal African Company, a major player in the slave trade at the time.
Estimates of the reparations being sought vary significantly. While the current demand stands at $261 billion, some studies suggest that Britain could owe as much as $24 trillion for its role in the three-century-long practice of enslaving Africans. The Brattle Group, an economic consulting firm, calculated the higher figure, stating that even $24 trillion might be an underestimation of the damages caused by Britain's slaveholding practices. Additionally, Reverend Dr. Michael Banner of Trinity College, Cambridge, has estimated the UK owes £205 billion ($261 billion) to the Caribbean.
The demand for reparations is not new but has gained renewed urgency in the wake of the global Black Lives Matter movement. In 2023, Mottley called on the UK to pay $4.9 trillion in reparations, adding her voice to a chorus of activists and political leaders who argue that Britain must take responsibility for its past. At the UN General Assembly last month, she called for an additional decade to address reparations for slavery and colonialism, underscoring the unresolved issues still plaguing former British colonies.
However, UK officials have historically resisted such calls. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during his tenure, declined to apologize or offer reparations, stating, "Trying to unpick our history is not the right way forward and is not something we will focus our energies on." Nevertheless, the persistence of the issue suggests it will continue to be a point of contention.
UN judge Patrick Robinson has been one of the most vocal proponents of reparations, stressing that countries responsible for historical injustices must compensate the descendants of those wronged. In April, he emphasized that Britain could not simply ignore the growing demands for reparations, particularly as new research continues to uncover the scale of the damage caused by the slave trade.
Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade began in 1562 and saw the country emerge as the world's largest slave-trading state by the 1730s. Although the slave trade was officially abolished in 1807, followed by the abolition of slavery in British colonies in 1833, the legacy of slavery and colonialism has left deep scars in the Caribbean and other former British colonies.
The upcoming Commonwealth summit, to be held on October 21, will likely see these demands for reparations brought to the forefront. With King Charles and Prime Minister Starmer in attendance, the UK will face mounting pressure to confront its colonial history and the economic disparities left in its wake. As Mottley and other leaders from the Caribbean push for reparatory justice, the question remains whether Britain will engage in meaningful action or continue to resist these demands.
