A UK minister has been harangued to her face over slavery reparations by a Caribbean Prime Minister and told Britain must atone for ‘the enduring impact of centuries of exploitation’.
Philip Davis, the Bahamas PM, told Baroness Jenny Chapman that the region’s former British colonies were ‘united in our demand for justice’ during a visit to the island nation.
The UK is resisting efforts to have the issue of financial reparations debated at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa later this week.
No10 has insisted that Britain will make no payments and offer no new apology for actions carried out centuries ago at the event, which will be attended by Sir Keir Starmer and the King.
According to the Bahamas government, PM Davis told an event in Nassau, where he posed for pictures with the peer, that ‘the horrors of slavery left a deep generational wound in communities and the fight for reparations is far from over’.
‘The call for repreparations is not simply about financial compensation. It is not about financial compensation,’ he said.
‘It is about recognising the enduring impact of centuries of exploitation and ensuring that the legacy of slavery is addressed with honesty and integrity.
‘As Caribbean nations, we stand united in our demand for justice for generations who came before us and those of us who are still living with that brutal history.’
The remarks were not mentioned in the UK’s government’s official readout of the event and the wider visit, which focused on trade and action to tackle climate change. But it is understood Baroness Chapman did not discuss reparations.
Baroness Chapman, who is the Minister for the Caribbean and Latin America at the Foreign Office, said the relationship between the two nations was ‘going from strength to strength’ and she would work to ‘deepen our ties from trade to climate’.
The peer was on a tour of the region last week which saw her also visit Jamaica.
She met Mr Davis and his cabinet before attending the event at the department for Education, which saw her hand over digital versions of ‘10,000 pages of historic documents pertaining to Bahamian Independence’ from the UK National Archives.
Mr Davis is a leading proponent of slavery reparations. At the weekend he told the Observer the subject should be discussed at CHOGM, saying: ‘The Commonwealth is the ideal forum for making progress on reparations. Our very name echoes the principles and values of the necessary stewardship of the wealth we hold in common – our shared planet.
‘The Commonwealth is the ideal forum for making progress on reparations. Our very name echoes the principles and values of the necessary stewardship of the wealth we hold in common – our shared planet.
Sir Keir is on his way to Samoa for the biennial gathering of heads of government for the 56 nations, where leaders will elect the new Commonwealth secretary general.
All three candidates vying for the job have called for reparations to countries that were affected by slavery and colonialism, but Downing Street has said the issue is ‘not on the agenda’ for the event and ‘we won’t be offering an apology’.
Recently resurfaced footage showed Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who will join Sir Keir in Samoa, supporting the case for reparations while he was a backbench Labour MP in the wake of the Windrush scandal.
Caricom, a group of 15 Caribbean nations, has called for talks to explore such measures, and representatives from the region are expected to raise the issue in Samoa.
All three candidates in the running to become the next secretary general of the Commonwealth – Shirley Botchwey of Ghana, Joshua Setipa of Lesotho and Mamadou Tangara of Gambia – have also supported reparatory justice.
Labour MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill Bell Ribeiro-Addy said Number 10’s position was ‘disappointing’ and likened it to old ‘colonial attitudes’.
‘The idea that we wouldn’t be addressing it at all and just ignoring the question feels wrong to me, that we would dismiss it when we know that so many people have these concerns – countries we say are our equals, but we’re not willing to discuss something that so many of them have on the agenda,’ she told the PA news agency.
‘For us to say we don’t want to talk about it at all kind of harks back to colonial attitudes. I think it’s wrong for us not to discuss it and I hope that that will change.’
Four other Labour MPs – Clive Lewis (Norwich South), Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East), Marsha de Cordova (Battersea), and former minister Dawn Butler – have also urged Sir Keir to change tack, the Guardian reported.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman earlier insisted he would not be discussing reparations at CHOGM this week.
‘The Government’s position on this has not changed, we do not pay reparations,’ he said.
‘The Prime Minister’s attending this week’s summit to discuss shared challenges and opportunities faced by the Commonwealth including driving growth across our economies.’
Asked about the Government’s position on offering an apology for historical wrongs, the spokesman added: ‘The position on apology remains the same, we won’t be offering an apology at CHOGM, but we will continue to engage with partners on the issues as we work with them to tackle the pressing challenges of today and indeed for the future generations.’