UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said slavery reparations are “not about the transfer of cash.”
His comments follow growing pressure from Commonwealth leaders who have said its time to discuss reparations for the horrors and legacy of the Transatlantic slave trade.
According to the BBC, Lammy said conversations about reparations were not part of “the debate people are wanting to have”.
Last month, Downing Street said discussions about the issue will “not be on the agenda” at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa.
The broadcaster also reported that Lammy said the UK would be interested in developing relations with African nations through sharing skills and science.
Lammy made the comments during his first visit to Africa as the new UK foreign secretary. He said that reparations were not about money “particularly at a time of a cost of living crisis”.
Sir Hilary Beckles, chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, previously said he hoped the UK’s Labour government with Lammy as foreign secretary would support reparations.
“(Lammy) has been a supporter of the (reparations) discourse while he was in opposition,” Beckles said.
“The question is whether he would be given a free hand in his government… to take the matter to a higher level.”
Caribbean leaders are basing their demands for justice on the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM), 10-point Reparations Plan which has been hailed by campaigners as a comprehensive framework for reparatory justice.
The plan includes a full formal apology, debt cancellation, repatriation funding, educational programs, and the return of stolen cultural artefacts, alongside compensation for the descendants of enslaved people.