LONDON, Sept. 7 — A Jamaican government delegation has formally submitted a petition to King Charles III, requesting that he refer three legal questions regarding transatlantic slavery and reparations to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC).
The petition, delivered by Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, asks the King — in his capacity as Jamaica’s head of state — to refer the following questions to the Privy Council, which remains Jamaica’s highest court of appeal:
- Whether the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was legal under English law;
- Whether it violated international law;
- Whether Britain now has a legal duty to provide redress.
Grange described the approach as a “novel approach” taken “after years of deliberations” to secure “the long outstanding settlement for the hundreds of years of the most horrific abuse that our African ancestors endured.” She emphasized that the petition itself is not a demand for financial payment, stating her delegation is not “focused on monetary value at the moment.”
“We are focused on getting answers to the questions we have asked. And then we will determine next steps,” she said.
Constitutional and Procedural Context The petition is submitted under the Judicial Committee Act of 1833, which grants the British monarch the authority to refer legal matters to the Privy Council for advisory opinions. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed that the King has “no personal discretion” in deciding whether to make a referral. However, the spokesperson added that the King “has on many occasions expressed his commitment to finding ways to address historic wrongs for the benefit of communities today.”
The Palace also acknowledged it had been working with Jamaica’s Governor-General to ensure the petition was correctly lodged.
Timing and Historical Context Grange said the petition’s timing was chosen to coincide with the 245th anniversary of the Zong massacre. In 1781, the slave ship Zong sailed from West Africa toward Jamaica carrying approximately 400 Africans; during the voyage, 140 Africans were thrown overboard so the crew could claim insurance.
The petition also draws attention to Britain’s compensation of slave owners following the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act. The British government borrowed £20 million — amounting to 40 percent of the Treasury’s annual income at the time — to compensate slave owners for the “loss” of their enslaved property. The formerly enslaved people received nothing, and Britain did not finish repaying the debt until 2015.
Grange questioned why Britain compensated slave owners while the descendants of enslaved people had not received similar redress. “Up to 2015, Britain was paying the slave masters because we were considered property,” she said.
Domestic Reactions and Regional Support The petition has drawn mixed reactions within Jamaica. Pan-African advocate Dr. Imani Tafari-Ama called the move “embarrassing” and “a disgrace,” arguing that seeking legal guidance from the same nation responsible for the harm is contradictory. She suggested Jamaica should instead focus on removing the British monarch as head of state, adding: “We need to … emancipate ourselves from mental slavery that would have invited us to even go genuflecting in front of the Crown representative.”
Conversely, historian Reverend Devon Dick told The Gleaner that the petition “will bring even more momentum to the reparations movement.”
Regionally, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has supported the initiative, having established a 10-point reparations plan outlining development priorities as it demands reparations from the UK, Europe, and all enslaving nations. Britain, however, has consistently rejected such calls. In 2024, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government insisted the UK would not pay reparations, echoing the stance of then-Prime Minister David Cameron, who ruled out financial redress during a 2015 visit to Jamaica while describing slavery as “abhorrent in all its forms.”
Additional Agenda Items and Estimated Figures During her UK visit, Grange will also meet with British Museum officials to discuss the repatriation of artefacts taken from Jamaica during the colonial era. “They are priceless, they are significant to the story of Jamaica, they belong to the people of Jamaica, and we are working to bring them home,” she said.
While the current petition seeks legal clarity rather than an immediate payout, various estimates of potential reparations have been cited in public discourse. Jamaica’s government estimates the country is owed approximately $10 billion, while some broader estimates have placed the potential global bill for transatlantic slavery as high as £18 trillion.