The Dispute Index

Philip J. Pierre

Portrait of Philip J. Pierre
U.S. Department of State / Freddie EverettSourcePublic domain (U.S. government work)Downloaded at its original size from Commons. The image was not altered.

Philip J. Pierre is a Saint Lucian politician who has been Prime Minister of Saint Lucia since July 2021 and leader of the Saint Lucia Labour Party since 2016. He has represented Castries East in the House of Assembly since 1997 and was Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2016. On July 1, 2026, he took up the six-month rotating chair of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Also known as Philip PierreWebsite (opens in a new tab)

What we have documented

We have documented 1 statement by Philip J. Pierre, in 1 case. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.

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Statements by Philip J. Pierre

Portrait of Philip J. Pierre

Philip J. Pierre

Role at the time: Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and Chair of the Caribbean Community

Mixed or conditional

Response to this claim

Britain should not pay financial reparations for the transatlantic slave trade because British people today cannot be held liable for historical wrongs in which they played no personal part.

“An apology is an essential first step, and we would receive a formal apology from the British state as a moment of historic importance. But an apology without repair is incomplete.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Statement from the Chair of the Caribbean Community, Hon. Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia: Reparatory Justice, 31 October 2026Full statement
Why we used this label

The reference point is Andy Burnham's position, set out on October 30, 2026, that he is open to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state for the transatlantic slave trade while ruling out financial reparations. Pierre welcomes the openness to a formal apology but rejects the ruling out of reparations, so his response supports one part of the position and opposes the other.

Read statementFull case: Andy Burnham says he is open to a formal UK apology for slavery and rules out reparations; Conservative and Reform UK leaders object, and CARICOM calls for repair

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

Case

Andy Burnham says he is open to a formal UK apology for slavery and rules out reparations; Conservative and Reform UK leaders object, and CARICOM calls for repair

Relationship to this case: Participant

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he is open to calls for a formal British state apology for the transatlantic slave trade but rules out financial reparations. Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage oppose an apology, and CARICOM says an apology without repair is incomplete.

U.K. PoliticsInternational RelationsPublished

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