King Charles, UK gov't react to Jamaica's slavery reparations petition

Historically, Great Britain had deep involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. Now, Jamaica, a Commonwealth country, took to London to seek legal answers about its responsibilities.

To that end, the delegation from the Caribbean country reached Buckingham Palace to request an audience and submit a plea directly to King Charles.

However, according to GB News, the monarch will not meet them personally, as he is on summer vacation in Scotland.

But the UK government's response to Kingston's request for £7.6 billion in financial reparations is clear.

"Our position on reparations is clear. The UK does not and will not pay reparations," the Prime Minister's spokesman said, according to GB News.

"The transatlantic slave trade was abhorrent, and of course it's right that we acknowledge the wrongs of the past."

"But we continue to face forward and work with other countries on current shared challenges," the statement added.

Previously, Jamaican Culture Minister Olivia Grange argued, "Up to 2015, Britain was paying the slave masters, because we were being considered property."

"The question really should be: if in modern times we're still paying back the slave masters for the property that was our people, our ancestors, for property that was because of the abolition of slavery, then why shouldn't we be pursuing some remedy at this time?" she asked.