Barbados PM calls former UK minister’s reparations suggestion ‘asinine’
9 reported
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has criticized a suggestion by former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman that former colonies should repay Britain for its historic investment in them. Mottley described the claim as "asinine" in a post on X late Thursday. Braverman, now a member of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, wrote on X on July 3 that the British Empire "did so much good for the world" and that former colonies should pay Britain back for its "considerable investment, effort and contribution." Mottley responded that the Caribbean does not owe Britain for slavery, colonial extraction, or laws that treated African people as chattel, and that the region is asking for justice, not charity. Her comments followed a meeting of Caribbean leaders from the Caricom trade bloc in St. Lucia to discuss slavery reparations. Mottley also noted that some British parliamentarians may be trying to distract from domestic UK politics and said the Caribbean will not be used as a prop for anyone's politics.
What’s reported
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley described as "asinine" a suggestion by former UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman that former colonies should repay Britain for its historic investment.
Mottley wrote on X: "The Caribbean does not owe Britain for slavery, for colonial extraction, or for laws that treated African people as chattel."
Braverman wrote on X on July 3 that the British Empire "did so much good for the world" and that former colonies should pay Britain back for its "considerable investment, effort and contribution."
Caribbean leaders from the Caricom trade bloc met this week in St. Lucia to discuss issues including slavery reparations.
Mottley said she does not doubt some British parliamentarians want to distract people from UK domestic politics.
Last month, Mottley led a subcommittee that launched a new slavery reparations manifesto during a reparations conference in Ghana.
Under Mottley, Barbados cut ties with Queen Elizabeth II in November 2021 and ceased to be a constitutional monarchy.
In recent years, Britain has insisted it will not pay to make amends, while Caribbean leaders have called for a formal apology and debt cancellations.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said an estimated 25 million to 30 million Africans were uprooted for the purpose of slavery.
Key figures
Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados
Suella Braverman, former British Home Secretary and member of Reform UK party
Volker Türk, U.N. human rights chief
Sources: abcnews.com
