Justin Welby, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, has argued in The Independent that paying reparations for slavery would create new injustices. He described them as a heavy fine falling on the whole British people, and said he would rather see investment in affected communities, fair trade and economic partnerships with Caribbean and West African countries.
Separately, the Church of England’s £100m “Project Spire”, which is meant to address the Church’s historical financial links to slavery, is facing legal action. Opponents question whether the Church Commissioners are entitled to use the money in this way.
Reparations are a contested subject, and people who support them disagree with Mr Welby’s view. This item reports the arguments as they were published; it does not take a side.
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