The call for justice has grown louder. Leaders from African and Caribbean nations have issued a united demand for a formal apology from the United Kingdom for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, reigniting the debate over reparations. The demand, made at a summit in Accra, Ghana, this week, places renewed pressure on Downing Street to confront the legacy of a crime that enriched Britain while devastating millions of lives.
For communities in Manchester, Liverpool, and Bristol, cities built on the profits of slavery, this is not a distant historical grievance. It is a living wound. The wealth generated from the labour of enslaved Africans funded the Industrial Revolution, which in turn created jobs and infrastructure in the North. But the descendants of those who suffered have yet to see a penny in compensation. Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis bites hardest in the same regions that once powered the empire.
Trade unions have begun to take notice. The Trades Union Congress has previously backed calls for reparatory justice, recognising that the fight against modern inequality is tied to historical wrongs. As energy bills rise and wages stagnate, working families in the North West and Yorkshire question why the government can find billions for tax cuts for the wealthy but cannot address a moral debt centuries in the making.
The UK government, however, has so far resisted. A spokesperson said the government "acknowledges the pain of the past" but believes "the focus should be on modern-day challenges". That answer rings hollow in places like Toxteth or Moss Side, where racial disparities in housing, employment, and health persist. Research from the Runnymede Trust shows Black Caribbean households in the UK have a median wealth of just a fraction of white British households. This is not ancient history. It is the inheritance of slavery.
Caribbean nations have also pushed for a comprehensive reparations package, including debt cancellation, investment in education and healthcare, and the return of cultural artefacts. The call follows similar demands from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) over the past decade. But without an apology, they argue, there can be no true reconciliation.
For the people of Accra, Kingston, and indeed the streets of Manchester, the demand is simple: acknowledge the crime. Then begin the work of repair. The question is whether the UK is willing to listen.