Why Jamaica is seeking $10bn in reparations from the UK

A Jamaican delegation to the United Kingdom has said it will file a petition addressed to King Charles III to seek legal guidance on the question of slavery reparations.

This is the first time a British Commonwealth state will use this legal route “for the cause of reparatory justice”, the Jamaican delegation said, as the visit to London kicks off on Monday. King Charles is Jamaica’s head of state, as the country is yet to transition from a constitutional monarchy to a republic.

The Jamaican government estimates that the country is owed about $10bn, but the UK has repeatedly refused to pay for historical slavery.

What is the latest petition all about, and how will the UK respond?

Jamaica’s relations with the UK stem back to 1655 when it became an English colony. Hundreds of thousands of enslaved African people toiled in Jamaica under more than 300 years of British rule and faced brutal conditions.

In August 1962, after Jamaica became independent, it established diplomatic ties with the UK and also became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, an international political association of 56 member countries made up of former British colonies.

The UK and Jamaica are also major trade partners, with UK exports to Jamaica reaching about $222m in 2025 and UK imports from Jamaica reaching about $76m.

While Jamaica has been independent since 1962, it has continued to recognise the British monarch as its head of state. But in recent years, calls to ditch the British king as Jamaica’s head of state have grown.