Caribbean nations demand comprehensive dialogue with Britain on slavery legacy, reject limiting it to apology
Caribbean nations (CARICOM) rejected limiting talks with Britain on the legacy of slavery to an apology, demanding a comprehensive dialogue including financial reparations and practical measures. Group chair Philip J. Pierre welcomed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's openness to an apology but stressed the need for dialogue to cover all elements of the reparatory justice plan.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) rejected limiting talks with Britain on the legacy of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade to an apology, insisting that they must include financial reparations and practical measures. The group's stance came in response to statements by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who expressed openness to an apology but refused to pay financial reparations for historical practices. Group chair and Prime Minister of Saint Lucia Philip J. Pierre welcomed the British offer of dialogue but stressed that it must cover all elements of the reparatory justice plan adopted by the group, and not exclude financial reparations. Starmer had expressed in a Guardian article his personal regret for the suffering caused by slavery, affirming his readiness to consider a formal state apology, without issuing an actual apology. King Charles also faces renewed pressure and demands from regional countries for a formal apology and reparations for the historical slave trade era.