In a debate in the UK Parliament on Wednesday, 8 March, Clive Lewis, the Labour Party Member of Parliament for Norwich South, will raise the issue of reparations to account for the UK’s historic role in the trade of enslaved people.
The debate, which was secured by Lewis, will cover the UK Government’s role in promoting financial security and reducing inequality in the Caribbean.
Lewis, who has Grenadian heritage, will echo calls already made by leaders in the Caribbean for the UK Government to enter into a dialogue with governments from the Caribbean about the issue of reparatory justice. A formal apology will be sought for the UK’s role in the slave trade with responsibility taken for crimes committed, as well as the provision of support and resourcing for a social and economic development plan. Lewis’ calls will build on the Caribbean Community’s (Caricom) Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice.
Recently in Parliament, Lewis welcomed the actions of the Trevelyan family, who last week made a formal apology for their ancestors’ role in enslaving over 1,000 Africans at their 6 plantations in Grenada. The family made the apology in Grenada, where they also launched a £100,000 fund for the island state. Some members of the Trevelyan family will attend the debate in Parliament.
Commenting ahead of the debate, Lewis said:
“It is impossible to debate the issue of economic development in the Caribbean without looking at the impact slavery and colonialism has had, and continues to exert, on the region.”
“Britain received 2 centuries of free labour from more than 15 million Africans and indentured Indians. The economic boost this gave Britain is well understood, if little discussed. The impact on the Caribbean itself, less so.”
“That needs to change as a matter of urgency and it’s why I’ll be raising this matter this week with the British government in Westminster. Because for too long the debate about reparations has, conveniently, been branded extreme and unrealistic by those who don’t want to pay them.“
The debate takes place soon after the Prime Minister of Grenada Dickon Mitchell invited the UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to enter into discussions with Caricom about reparative justice.
- The debate is taking place in Westminster Hall from 09:30 – 11:00 (GMT)
- The debate can be watched live here
- A background briefing on the debate has been produced by the House of Commons Library, which can be read here
Clive Lewis, MP
After over two hundred years of the abolition of slavery reparations for the evil done to people the conscious of
the children of our once slave masters is now the talk of the town about paying Reparation for the enslaved but what about the damage scars of slavery that is still with us today .
Great. It’s time after 200 yrs of free labor.
Funny, there folks in the Caribbean who thinks no reparations should be given or entertain.
Might as well have reparations. It’s just play money created out of thin air. The Central Banks need help in pushing massive inflation so they can crash the current system and bring in the CBDC mark of the beast system. If the money doesn’t go to private citizens it will just go to war.