Kingston, Nov 11:
Jamaica’s petition seeking a legal determination on the transatlantic slave trade and Britain’s reparatory obligations has moved to a formal stage following a referral by King Charles III to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
The petition invokes Section 4 of the Judicial Committee Act 1833, a rarely utilised constitutional provision enabling the monarch to refer complex legal questions to the judicial body. The petition requests judicial clarity on whether the enslavement and transport of Africans in Jamaica breached English or international law and whether the United Kingdom carries a legal duty to provide reparatory remedies.
The Privy Council has provisionally scheduled a preliminary hearing for the week of March 8, 2027, granting the British government until November 20, 2026, to file its initial response. While Jamaican Culture Minister Olivia Grange clarified that the petition seeks constitutional clarity rather than a specific monetary claim, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Andy Burnham affirmed that the UK government remains opposed to paying reparations.