Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has strongly rejected a recent suggestion by a former British minister that the United Kingdom's former colonies should repay the nation for its historical investments. Mottley characterized the idea as “asinine” in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The remarks by Mottley came in response to a post by Suella Braverman, a former British Home Secretary and current member of the Reform UK party. On July 3, Braverman wrote on X that if the British government were considering reparations for former colonies, then those nations "should pay the British back for the considerable investment, effort and contribution that this country made which laid the foundations for many flourishing democracies today."
Braverman's comments were made in the context of Jamaica's reported plans to formally petition for reparations later this year. Mottley countered Braverman's assertion, stating on X, "I cannot believe we are being asked to respond to the suggestion that the descendants of the enslaved should pay for the machinery that oppressed them."
Mottley emphasized that the Caribbean region does not owe Britain for slavery, colonial extraction, or laws that treated African people as property. "We are not asking for charity. We are asking for justice, and history itself has already told the truth," she wrote.
Mottley suggested that some British parliamentarians might be attempting to distract from domestic political issues within the United Kingdom. "Those who wish to speak on this matter should first take the time to read enough history to understand it," Mottley stated. "The Caribbean will not be used as a prop for anyone’s politics."
Mottley's recent comments follow a meeting of Caribbean leaders from the regional trade bloc Caricom in St. Lucia, where discussions included slavery reparations. Last month, Mottley also led a Caribbean leaders' subcommittee that launched a new slavery reparations manifesto during a conference in Ghana.
Under Mottley's leadership, Barbados transitioned to a republic in November 2021, severing ties with Queen Elizabeth II and ending its status as a constitutional monarchy. Mottley, also globally recognized for her climate change advocacy, secured her third consecutive term as prime minister in February.
Britain has consistently maintained its position against paying reparations, while Caribbean leaders have called for a formal apology and measures such as debt cancellation. The United Nations Human Rights Office has estimated that 25 million to 30 million Africans were forcibly removed for the purpose of slavery, with many sent to work on plantations in the Caribbean and the Americas.