I am launching a new UK-Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership to build real, tangible things that will make a difference for people across the Caribbean. £360 million in new financial commitments, including a £300 million much-needed infrastructure fund across the Caribbean. Today I can announce a major new package of British investment in this region. And I’ve come here today not just with words of friendship but with a real down-payment on Britain’s commitment to you. That’s why my government changed the UK’s Air Passenger Duty rules, to end the unfair penalty that hit people travelling to and from the Caribbean. I’m serious about the need to strengthen the bonds between the UK and the Caribbean. I passionately believe that our relationship now is more important than it’s ever been – for both of us. I’m here because we have common aspirations and interests that we can meet better by working more closely together. Now my reason for wanting to come here is because of the future. But I do hope that, as friends who have gone through so much together since those darkest of times, we can move on from this painful legacy and continue to build for the future. I acknowledge that these wounds run very deep indeed. That the Caribbean has emerged from the long, dark shadow it cast is testament to the resilience and spirit of its people. It has no place whatsoever in any civilised society, and Britain is proud to have eventually led the way in its abolition. Slavery was and is abhorrent in all its forms. While there is much indeed to celebrate about our past, it would be wrong to do so while ignoring the most painful aspects of it – a period which should never be forgotten, and from which history has drawn the bitterest of lessons. And I believe that the close links between the UK and the Caribbean are something to give thanks for – particularly as we celebrate the reign of our longest ever serving monarch, who has served our nations so loyally. In the case of the British Overseas Territories of this region, our links are even closer – we are bound together by the ties of nationhood and citizenship. So we are bound together by the ties of history, of language, of culture. And every year, 800,000 Brits visit the region to come and see relatives, or simply enjoy the extraordinary natural blessings of your beautiful islands. Last year, UK exports to the region totalled more than £1 billion. The UK is the number one export destination for much of the Caribbean. Our links stay strong to this day – and are economic as well as cultural. We brought you the game of cricket, though, over the years, particularly perhaps when I was a little younger, you’ve more than returned the favour by teaching us a thing or two about fast bowling and big hitting! Our cultural exchange hasn’t only been one-way, of course. I want to put on record the gratitude I feel towards everyone who enjoys links to the Caribbean, and who has contributed so much to our national life.Īnd it’s no surprise that many of the icons of Jamaican and Caribbean popular culture are as well-loved in the UK as they are here – the sporting prowess of Usain Bolt or Chris Gayle, the music of Bob Marley and the colourful joy of the Notting Hill Carnival. Naipaul – people of Caribbean heritage have enriched our national life beyond measure.īut it’s not just the stars and celebrities that I want to say “thank you” to today. From public servants like Baroness Amos and Baroness Scotland broadcasters like Sir Trevor McDonald comedians like Sir Lenny Henry to writers like Sir V.S. People with links to the Caribbean have made an enormous contribution to the United Kingdom in terms of public, creative and sporting life. When the United Kingdom was tired and indebted after the ravages of Total War, hundreds of thousands from the Commonwealth Caribbean made their way to our shores, helping to build and energise our great public services like the NHS. When the world faced despotism and evil in two World Wars, British and Jamaican soldiers, and soldiers from all over the Caribbean, served together – and died together – in the cause of freedom. I’ve come to the Caribbean – and to Jamaica in particular – to celebrate these extraordinary ties. But this familiarity is about much more than just bricks and mortar – it is a warm reminder of the strong democratic and parliamentary links that bind us together.Īnd the strong links that bind the UK, not just to Jamaica, but to the whole Commonwealth Caribbean. Although so far, it looks far better behaved. These benches, the mace in front of us, the atmosphere - there is much about this place that reminds me of home. To be invited here to address this joint sitting of Parliament is a great honour. Let me first thank the Most Honourable Prime Minister and the Most Honourable Leader of the Opposition for their kind words of welcome.
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