Prime Minister Gaston Browne says Caribbean demands for slavery reparations will take account of Britain’s financial difficulties, suggesting that development funding and debt restructuring could help address the legacy of slavery and colonialism.

Speaking in an interview with itv news ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, Browne said the pursuit of compensation would be guided by fairness and an understanding of Britain’s ability to respond.

“We’re not coming to Britain and, you know, making demands that you cannot afford,” he said.

Browne proposed redirecting part of Britain’s existing overseas development assistance budget towards Caribbean countries, arguing that this would provide support without requiring additional spending.

“We’re not asking Britain to allocate additional resources. We’re asking for a partial reallocation of some of its ODA budget,” he said.

He suggested that the money could support a sustained programme of development assistance to help address underdevelopment in the region.

“You don’t have to call it reparations, but there has to be a systematic programme of funding to help to develop this region, to deal with the issues of underdevelopment that Britain has left us over the decades,” Browne said.

Asked whether his proposal included debt restructuring, the prime minister said that could form part of the response. However, he acknowledged that differences remained over the question of compensation.

Browne said he understood concerns among British citizens facing pressure on public services and government finances, but maintained that those difficulties did not remove the case for restitution.

“It’s not a cap-in-hand begging, and we’re not going to make any unreasonable demands. We understand the difficulties that the United Kingdom has currently, the financial difficulties,” he said.

The prime minister argued that present generations continued to benefit from wealth generated through the exploitation of enslaved people, even though they had not personally committed those acts.

He said wealth extracted from the Caribbean had helped build economies, universities and infrastructure in Europe and North America.

“So you can’t have the benefits and don’t want to carry the burden,” he said.

Browne also presented compensation as a form of accountability that could help discourage future atrocities. He rejected the argument that responsibility should disappear with the passing of the generation that committed the wrongdoing.

While welcoming British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s willingness to work towards a formal apology for Britain’s role in the slave trade, Browne said political obstacles to compensation did not negate the need for reparations.

He said he did not expect agreement on the issue at the summit, but supported structured, inclusive talks with a time limit to help the parties find common ground.

Browne stressed that those discussions would be conducted without bitterness or animosity.

“Even though I’m speaking very firmly, this firm speech does not come with any form of bitterness or any animosity,” he said.

Source: Antigua News Room PM Gaston Browne says Caribbean reparations demands will be fair.