Latest news with #slaveryReparations
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Jamaica pushes King to back slavery reparations
The Jamaican government has urged the King to support slavery reparations. The Caribbean country is the first to exploit 19th-century colonial legislation to directly petition the monarch, who remains head of state of the island nation, to refer the issue to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The committee is the highest court of appeal for the 15 independent Commonwealth realms which retain the King as their head of state. Jamaica hopes that, after being asked by the King to examine the reparations issue, the committee could then give an opinion on whether Britain has a legal 'obligation' to offer a 'remedy'. Legal experts believe official recognition would 'open the door' to the payments, with campaigners seeking up to £18 trillion. The Telegraph understands that other Caribbean countries which retain the King as head of state could follow Jamaica and pursue the same strategy. Olivia Grange, the Jamaican culture minister, announced the plan this week, telling Parliament: 'We will be submitting a petition to His Majesty King Charles III to refer to the Privy Council a set of questions that we want answered within his current position as head of state of Jamaica.' Derrick McKoy, the attorney general of Jamaica, has been asked by Ms Grange to submit the petition. Members of Caricom, a political grouping of 15 Caribbean states, have long demanded reparation payments from Britain and other colonial powers, including France and the Netherlands. However, the calls have been repeatedly rebuffed by successive UK governments, which have refused to discuss the issue. The latest high-profile attempt was in 2024 when Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, came under pressure from Commonwealth members ahead of a summit in Samoa. Jamaica's new strategy seeks to apply renewed pressure on the UK by exploiting the Judicial Committee Act 1833. Under the legislation, which still applies to Jamaica following independence in 1962, colonies were permitted to petition the monarch on judicial matters and stated that the King could 'refer… any such other matters whatsoever as His Majesty shall think fit'. 'Crime against humanity' Jamaica wants the committee to offer an opinion on whether the slave trade was illegal under British common law at the time it existed, and whether it could now be legally considered a 'crime against humanity'. It is hoped that in answering these questions, the committee could issue advice on whether 'the UK is under an obligation to provide a remedy to the Jamaican people for the unlawful transport and subsequent enslavement of African people'. The petition, officially 'on behalf of the Jamaica people', has been drawn up with the help of attorney and reparations campaigner, Bert Samuels, who said the request would go 'straight to Buckingham Palace'. He explained that if the King sought advice, then: 'The Judicial Committee can then give [an] opinion. You could get an opinion that slavery was indeed a crime against humanity. 'This would open the door for reparations to be paid.' Nicola Diggle, an expert on the Privy Council with London law firm Blake Morgan, said the King would not be obliged to refer the issue, and neither was the committee obligated to offer any advice or opinions on the matter. A palace source said that if the King were to receive such a petition, he would act, as always, on the advice of the relevant authorities. The idea of petitioning the King has been credited to Jamaican lawyer Frank Phipps, who has long worked with Caricom's Reparations Commission. In 2014, the commission unveiled a 10-point plan for reparative justice, including demands for an official apology and financial compensation, and sought advice on how to bring a legal case. The Telegraph revealed in February that Lord Hermer, the current Attorney General, worked on plans to take action against the UK. However, in the end, the case was not pursued. Next week, MPs are due to discuss slavery reparations with a delegation from the Caribbean, led by the Repair Campaign group. Sir Keir and David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, have been made aware of the series of briefings planned in Parliament to drum up support for reparations. Insiders said there had been plans earlier in the year for Mr Lammy to host a 'Caricom forum', which would hear submissions about reparations. However, sources said this was pushed back because of the conflict between Israel and Iran. Campaigners had hoped that Mr Lammy, of Guyanese descent, and Labour more generally might be sympathetic to their cause after the Tories repeatedly refused to discuss the issue.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Jamaica to take fight for slavery reparations to King Charles
LONDON, June 26 (Reuters) - Jamaica will ask King Charles to request legal advice from the London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the final court of appeal for UK overseas territories and some Commonwealth nations, on the issue of slavery reparations. Under the Judicial Committee Act of 1833, Charles, who remains Jamaica's head of state after the country gained independence from Britain in 1962, has the authority to refer matters to the council for consideration. Hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were shipped to Jamaica, and many scholars and advocates say the legacy of that period has resulted in or played a role in today's inequities. Calls for reparations are longstanding and moves such as the appeal to Charles help to keep the topic in the public spotlight. A backlash against it has also been growing, and many of Europe's leaders have opposed even talking about it. Jamaica's culture minister, Olivia Grange, said her government was seeking the council to consider whether the forced transport of enslaved Africans to Jamaica and their subsequent enslavement was lawful, and if it constituted a crime against humanity. It is also calling on the council to examine whether Britain is "under an obligation to provide a remedy" to Jamaica, not only for slavery but also for its enduring consequences. "We will be submitting a petition to His Majesty King Charles III to refer to the Privy Council a set of questions that we want answered within his current position as head of state of Jamaica," Grange said in the Jamaican parliament on Tuesday. Nicola Diggle, an expert in Privy Council appeals at London law firm Blake Morgan, said the monarch could refer any matter to the council. Lower courts in countries such as Jamaica, where the council is the final court of appeal, can also refer cases. However, it may decide the matter is unsuitable for its opinion. The legal weight of the council's recommendations can vary. They could either be treated as a court judgment or non-enforceable legal opinions. Charles expressed deep sorrow over slavery in a speech to Commonwealth leaders in 2022 but Britain, like other former colonial powers, has so far rejected demands for reparations. The petition comes after Jamaica's government presented a bill in December last year to ditch the king as head of state.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
MPs to discuss slavery reparations
MPs are set to discuss slavery reparations with a delegation from the Caribbean. A group of activists and academics will travel to Westminster to make their case, which could include demands for Britain to pay trillions of pounds. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, and David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, have been invited, the Telegraph has been informed. Insiders said there had been plans for Mr Lammy to host a 'Caricom forum' which would hear submissions about reparations. However, sources said this was pushed back. Caricom refers to the Caribbean Community, a supranational body representing nations in the region. It is understood the events are intended to make the case for reparative justice. There had been hopes among campaigners that Mr Lammy, of Guyanese descent, and Labour generally might be sympathetic to their cause. The Tories refused repeatedly to countenance discussing it. Pressure was brought to bear on Sir Keir at the 2024 Commonwealth summit in Samoa where the issue was forced onto the official agenda but No 10 publicly ruled out payments. Mr Lammy, who was there, had suggested that reparations need not be a 'cash transfer' but could include 'other forms of non-financial reparatory justice too'. The UK signed off on the Commonwealth summit statement which set out the need for 'inclusive conversations' about reparations for slavery, and the need to address 'chattel enslavement… dispossession of indigenous people, indentureship, colonialism' in order to move to a 'future based on equity'. The delegation will be hosted in Parliament on July 2 by Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who heads the all-party parliament group on Afrikan reparations and is a staunch supporter of the cause. Events have been organised and supported by the Repair Campaign, a group which supports Caribbean efforts to secure reparations. The group was founded by Denis O'Brien, the Irish billionaire owner of telecoms giant Digicel. He has overseen the creation of development packages tailored to the needs of Caribbean nations and funded by former colonial powers. Voters of Caribbean descent Baroness Chapman, Minister of State for Development, has also been invited to meet the Caribbean delegation, along with members of the foreign affairs committee. It is understood that invitations have been extended to MPs representing constituencies with a high proportion of voters of Caribbean descent. Events will be held at Portcullis House on the parliamentary estate. Before coming to London, the delegation will travel to Brussels to argue that former slave-trading powers including France and the Netherlands should support paying compensation for the exploitation of enslaved Africans. It includes members of the Reparations Commission for Caricom. The commission has spent more than a decade pushing for Britain to agree to a 10-point plan for reparations, which has been repeatedly rebuffed. Uriel Sabajo will represent the Suriname committee, and Carla Astaphan will be in London to represent St Kitts & Nevis, a former British colony. While they are connected to Caricom, the delegation is not an official group sent by the commission itself. Other delegates expected in London include leading professors from the University of the West Indies, along with Mr O'Brien and his colleagues. British supporters of the movement, including Dr Michael Banner, author and Dean and Fellow of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, will also attend.
