King Charles and Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer are about to face a huge challenge at the upcoming Commonwealth summit in Samoa. Fifteen Caribbean nations have come together to demand the UK pay a staggering £200 billion in reparations for its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. This request will be presented when leaders gather for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting on October 21.
The leader of Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Mottley, is at the forefront of this movement. She has been vocal about the need for reparations, calling for them during a speech at the United Nations. She said these payments should be part of a broader “global reset” to address the wrongs of the past, especially those caused by slavery and colonialism. Earlier this month, Mottley had a private meeting with King Charles in London to discuss these issues before the summit, although Buckingham Palace has not revealed what was said.
This push for reparations comes at a time when republican sentiments are growing stronger in the Caribbean, with many countries questioning their ties to the British monarchy. In 2021, Barbados officially removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state, and Jamaica has announced its intention to do the same by next year.
One of the leading figures pushing for reparations, UN judge Patrick Robinson, has argued that even £200 billion might not be enough to cover the damage caused by slavery. He cited estimates ranging from £206 billion to an eye-watering £19 trillion, pointing out that the full extent of harm is often underestimated. Robinson strongly believes that the UK, along with other countries involved in the slave trade, cannot ignore the issue any longer. Once a country commits a wrongful act, he said, it is obligated to pay reparations.
David Lammy, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, who is of Guyanese descent, has also spoken about the painful legacy of slavery. He shared how his ancestors were stolen from their homes, chained, and forced into slavery, living through the brutal realities of imperialism. Lammy has even supported the actions of protesters who tore down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol during the Black Lives Matter protests four years ago.
The issue of reparations is also being fueled by the UK’s recent decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which has raised concerns about the future of other British territories like the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar. Caribbean leaders see this as a moment of reckoning for Britain’s colonial past, with many nations ready to speak with one voice at the Commonwealth meeting.
While the official agenda for the summit has not yet been released, the demands for reparations are expected to take center stage. Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago has already warned that Caribbean leaders will raise the issue forcefully. He pointedly referred to the UK as a country with “a new King and a Labour government,” implying that the timing is right for these demands to be taken seriously.
Adding to the pressure, the Church of England has acknowledged its own past involvement in the slave trade and set aside a £100 million fund for reparations, further highlighting the need for the UK to address its historical role in slavery.
Despite these growing calls, some believe the UK government is unlikely to agree to such a massive financial settlement. The current economic situation in Britain is already fragile, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves grappling with a £22 billion gap in public finances. Paying even a fraction of the proposed reparations would severely strain the country’s resources.
But Caribbean leaders aren’t backing down. For them, this is a matter of justice and historical accountability. Barbados’s Prime Minister Mottley has described her country as “the home of modern racism” due to its history of British rule, and she believes the UK’s debt to her nation alone is in the trillions.
As the Commonwealth summit draws closer, all eyes will be on King Charles and Sir Keir Starmer. Will the UK confront its colonial past and agree to these historic demands? Or will it continue to avoid the conversation, leaving the Commonwealth divided over one of the most painful chapters in its shared history? The world will be watching.
