Jamaica Reparations Petition Referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council on 22 September 2026
JAMAICA · LAW
Key Facts
- —The country. Jamaica is a Caribbean island state and a Commonwealth realm. King Charles III is still its head of state, which is why this route exists.
- —The money. The petition names no sum. Figures of 10 billion United States dollars and 10 billion pounds, about US$13.3 billion, in circulation come from earlier campaign demands.
- —The background. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is a court in London. It is Jamaica’s own final court of appeal, not the United Kingdom’s.
- —The news. On 22 September 2026, King Charles referred Jamaica’s petition to that Committee. Minister Olivia Grange announced it in Parliament the same day.
- —What is new or disputed. The petition uses section 4 of the Judicial Committee Act 1833. It is not a lawsuit, and Jamaica is not suing anyone.
- —What it means for you. Any outcome would be advice to the King, not an order to pay money. The United Kingdom government says it will not pay reparations.
- —The caveat. The Committee may still decline to answer the questions. No hearing date, no panel and no timetable exist.
King Charles has referred the Jamaica reparations petition to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which is Jamaica’s own final court of appeal.
A referral, not a court case
On 22 September 2026, King Charles III referred Jamaica’s reparations petition to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Olivia Grange announced the referral in Jamaica’s House of Representatives the same day. She is the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is a court based in London. It is Jamaica’s own final court of appeal. It is not the United Kingdom’s final court, which is the separate Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
This is a petition, not a lawsuit. Jamaica asked the King to refer questions, and he referred them. There is no defendant, no claim for damages and no appeal from a lower court. Jamaica is not suing Britain.
The petition was delivered to Buckingham Palace on 7 September 2026, by a delegation Grange led. It was filed on behalf of the Jamaican government, with input from the National Council on Reparations.
Why this route, and what is being asked
The legal basis is section 4 of the Judicial Committee Act 1833. That section lets the monarch refer “any such other matters whatsoever as His Majesty shall think fit” to the Committee for hearing. The route was reportedly advised by the attorney Frank Phipps.
Jamaica can use it because King Charles remains its head of state. Former colonies that became republics have no such route. The alternative path was closed. Jamaica cannot take the United Kingdom to the International Court of Justice. That court is part of the United Nations and settles disputes between states. The United Kingdom excludes disputes with fellow Commonwealth members from its compulsory jurisdiction.
Three questions were referred. The first asks whether the seizure, transportation and enslavement of Africans was lawful under English law. The second asks whether it breached international obligations or amounted to crimes against humanity.
The third asks whether the United Kingdom has a legal obligation to provide a reparatory remedy to Jamaica. Nothing has been heard yet. Grange told Parliament that Jamaica is awaiting directions from the Committee on the next steps.
What the Committee could produce, and what it might not
The output would be advice, not a judgment. Under section 4 the Committee reports its opinion to the monarch. Its reports end with the formula that the Board will humbly advise His Majesty.
By constitutional convention that advice is given effect through an Order in Council, a formal government instrument. So it carries real weight. It remains formally advisory, and it is not an order to pay money.
A referral is also not an acceptance. The Committee may decline to answer, on the ground that the questions are better decided elsewhere. No hearing date, no panel of judges and no timetable have been set.
A constitutional question sits underneath all of this. Francesca Jackson set the problem out in an analysis published on 23 September 2026. It appeared at the UK Constitutional Law Association, a body of constitutional lawyers and academics. She noted that the monarch acts on ministerial advice. It is unsettled whether only British ministers advise the King here, or whether Jamaican ministers may advise him too. She cited an Australian seabed precedent from 1972 to 1974 for the second view, and had expected a refusal.
What changes now, and what does not
Britain’s stated position has not moved. On 7 September 2026, a spokesperson for United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that the United Kingdom does not and will not pay reparations. The same statement called slavery “abhorrent”. Britain has consistently rejected both reparations and a formal apology.
The petition names no sum. Coverage has reported figures of 10 billion United States dollars, 10 billion pounds (about US$13.3 billion) and 7.6 billion pounds (about US$10.1 billion). Those numbers are inconsistent, and they trace back to earlier campaign demands rather than to this filing.
Professor Verene Shepherd made the point directly. She is professor emerita of social history at the University of the West Indies and served as the delegation’s historian. She said Jamaica first wants the Privy Council to answer, and takes it from there. She also called the petition grounded in history and in the experiences of ancestors, and not frivolous.
One further fact sits in the background. Jamaica has not accepted the appellate jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice, the regional court that some Caribbean states use as their final court. So Jamaica is asking a London court about British responsibility for slavery, while separately debating whether to keep using that court at all. No development this year has moved that debate forward.
For readers, the horizon is long. There is no hearing, no panel and no deadline. The next visible step is a direction from the Committee on how, or whether, it will proceed.
Sources
- Jamaica Observer, King Charles refers the petition
- Jamaica Observer, Professor Verene Shepherd
- Associated Press, via ABC News
- UK Constitutional Law Association, analysis by Francesca Jackson
- Al Jazeera, United Kingdom refuses reparations
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jamaica suing the United Kingdom?
No. Jamaica petitioned King Charles, and he referred three questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. There is no defendant and no claim for damages.
What is the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council?
It is a court that sits in London. It is Jamaica’s own final court of appeal, and it also serves other Commonwealth countries and British overseas territories. The United Kingdom’s own final court is the separate Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
Could this force Britain to pay?
Not directly. The Committee reports advice to the monarch, which convention gives effect through an Order in Council. It is not a money judgment, and the United Kingdom government said on 7 September 2026 that it will not pay reparations.
How much is Jamaica asking for?
The petition names no figure. Professor Verene Shepherd, the delegation’s historian, said Jamaica wants the legal questions answered first. Figures reported elsewhere come from earlier campaign demands.
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