UK Rejects Jamaica’s £10 Billion Reparations Demand
The UK government has firmly rejected a formal petition from Jamaica demanding £10 billion in reparations for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.
A Jamaican delegation delivered the petition to Buckingham Palace, addressed to King Charles III, on September 7th. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Andy Burnham reiterated the government’s longstanding position: “The UK does not pay and will not pay reparations.” The spokesperson acknowledged the “abhorrent nature” of colonial practices and the wealth Britain gained from the slave trade, but said successive UK governments have avoided a formal apology or economic negotiations on the matter.
The delegation, led by Jamaica’s Minister of Culture Olivia Grange, took a different legal approach than previous reparations pushes. Rather than asking for a direct royal decision, the petition asks King Charles III to seek guidance from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the London-based body that serves as the final court of appeal for Jamaica and other Commonwealth territories. No Commonwealth nation has pursued this specific legal route before, making Jamaica’s petition a potential precedent.
The petition raises three central legal questions: whether the enslavement of African people in Jamaica was lawful under English law at the time, whether the practice violated international law regardless of its domestic legality, and whether the UK bears a legal obligation to compensate for the damage caused.
Grange also called for the return of Caribbean artifacts still held in British museums, tying the reparations demand to a broader restitution push. Despite the government’s rejection, Grange told international media she felt “encouraged” by the step taken, framing the legal filing itself as progress independent of London’s immediate response.
King Charles III was in Scotland when the petition was delivered, an absence that drew criticism. Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy group Republic, said the king “once again… seeks refuge whenever the issue of slavery and empire is raised.”
The petition comes amid broader international pressure on the issue. A United Nations committee has determined that states carry a legal obligation to consider reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, warning that eliminating racial discrimination will remain out of reach without a full commitment to addressing its ongoing damage.
Jamaica became an English colony in 1655, and hundreds of thousands of enslaved African people endured brutal conditions there over more than 300 years of British rule. The country gained independence in August 1962 and joined the Commonwealth of Nations, though it continued recognizing the British monarch as head of state until December 2024, when Jamaica’s government passed a constitutional amendment removing that role.
Britain’s involvement in the slave trade began in 1562, and by the 1730s it had become the world’s largest slave-trading nation, transporting more than three million Africans, primarily to its North American and Caribbean colonies.
The UK has paid reparations over slavery once before, but not to its victims. In 1833, the British government compensated slave owners for the “loss of their property” after abolishing slavery across the empire. More recently, in March 2024, the Church of England pledged a £1 billion fund to address its historical role in slavery.
UK political leaders have continued to resist financial reparations to the descendants of trafficked people. In October 2024, then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office confirmed Britain would not pay reparations or issue an apology. The British monarchy has similarly never issued a formal apology for the crown’s role in the slave trade.
The Netherlands remains the only European country to have formally apologized for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. In March, when the UN General Assembly voted to recognize the transatlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity,” the UK was among several European nations that abstained.