Caribbean commission demands UK cancel debt after slavery apology signal
Leaders argue that Prime Minister Andy Burnham's openness to a formal apology must be paired with financial restitution, not just easier repayment terms.
By Giulia Marshall ·
The CARICOM Reparations Commission is urging the United Kingdom to cancel Caribbean debt rather than merely improve repayment conditions. This stance comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham signaled openness to a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.
The commission views Burnham’s recent statement as a positive shift from previous expressions of regret. It argues that a formal apology serves as a legal and ethical acknowledgment of historical crimes. This recognition is a prerequisite for the reparations process outlined in the group’s Ten Point Plan.
King Charles III is scheduled to address the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua on Tuesday. Civil society groups are expected to protest at the gathering, demanding both an apology and concrete reparations. The timing of the prime minister’s remarks coincides with these events.
The commission criticizes the UK’s current proposal to help poor countries pay back loans under better terms. It contends that improved debt conditions do not address the deep economic legacy of enslavement. The group insists that debt cancellation is the specific form of reparation required.
Sir Arthur Lewis, a key figure in the modern reparations movement, argued in his 1939 book that Britain owed a debt for the unpaid labor of enslaved people. He described this extracted labor as a financial obligation that the British largely denied. The commission uses this historical framework to challenge the idea of a complicated history.
The group points to Chief Takyi in Jamaica and Black revolutionaries in Ayiti as leaders of the fight for abolition. It argues that the facts of enslavement are clear and that the crime continues until justice is achieved. Recent documents, including a March 2026 UN resolution, affirm that the transatlantic trade created modern global power structures.
The commission demands that Britain pair its apology with monetary compensation. It rejects the notion that a nation profiting from chattel slavery should escape financial responsibility. The group is pressing London to finally pay its debt to the Caribbean.
