Gaston Browne says Britain should pay for its part in the slave trade or risk ‘a repeat’ of its atrocities, hours after attending church with King Charles and Queen Camilla
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla to a Sunday church service, then told ITV News he would personally like to see the King replaced as head of state. He also criticised Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for saying Britain should stop apologising for the slave trade, and called on the UK to pay reparations. He said failing to do so risked a repeat of the atrocities. He added that any move to a republic was ultimately for the people to decide.
‘I am a Republican’
At the service, held as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026 programme, Mr Browne sat among the congregation with the royal couple. Afterwards he told ITV News he had great respect for the monarch but was a republican. “If you asked me about my personal view, I would like to see Antigua and Barbuda become a republic… but I have to recognise and accept the fact that there are certain constitutional provisions to become a republic, and that, ultimately, it is the decision of the people,” he said.
Replacing the monarch would need more than two-thirds of Antiguans to vote for a change to the constitution. “So until such time as the question is put to them, I have to accept that, you know, King Charles remains. I serve the King, and he will continue to benefit from, you know, all of the courtesies and respect as our King,” he said, adding: “from time to time we have to test the waters.”
Badenoch criticised
Asked about Mrs Badenoch’s view that Britain should stop apologising for the past, and that Caribbean nations were using the summit to extract “global welfare” from the UK, Mr Browne called her “misguided”. “No wonder she is the leader of the opposition and not the Prime Minister. Right?” he said. Asked whether she should reassess, he replied: “that’s up to her. But we do not share her sentiments.” The source does not include a response from Mrs Badenoch.
The reparations argument
On Friday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said his government was prepared to talk about an apology, which no previous British prime minister has done, and expressed “my sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions”. He ruled out the British public paying compensation.
Mr Browne said he understood why that was politically difficult for Mr Burnham but that it “does not negate the need for reparations”. He insisted Caribbean leaders were “not coming to Britain and making demands that you cannot afford”, and said the money should come out of the UK’s overseas development budget. No total was given.
He warned: “If there is no compensation, there’s likely to be a repeat of those atrocities sometime in the future. And you can see what is happening globally already.” Without “some form of deterrent, there could be a repeat”, he said. Asked whether he meant Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he replied only: “you can see what is happening globally.” He said countries were “becoming far more brutal”, and that without compensation and “even liability for future generations”, the present generation “must understand that the actions could also affect future generations”.
At the service
The King and Queen were greeted at St John’s Pentecostal House of Restoration by Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams and Lady Sandra Williams, a steel pan band and the flags of the 56 Commonwealth nations. Cricketer Sir Viv Richards was also there. Queen Camilla, 79, flew in on Thursday and joined the King after his arrival from Guyana on Friday night. It was her first public appearance of the week.
Bishop Ernest Flemming said Commonwealth “prosperity” must be “shared prosperity” and that small states’ voices must be heard. “A genuine partnership does not ask what can I take; it asks what can we build together?” he said. Caribbean nations have welcomed the UK’s offer of talks on an apology.
