Church of England alienates parishioners with plan for £100m slavery reparations

 The Church of England’s slavery reparations drive could turn parishioners away from collection plates, a poll has found.

More than 60 per cent of churchgoers say they would redirect donations to other charities if the Church Commissioners – the institution’s financial arm – earmarked money for reparations, according to a survey of Anglicans.

The Church’s pledge to commit £100m to address its historical links to transatlantic slavery has faced growing scrutiny since it was announced in 2023.

The plan, known as Project Spire, was endorsed by Justin Welby, the former archbishop of Canterbury, after a report found that a fund established by Queen Anne in 1704 to support poor Anglican clergy had invested in African chattel slavery.

Money from Queen Anne’s Bounty was invested in annuities in the South Sea Company, which transported thousands of slaves from Africa to South America

In 2022, Mr Welby said: “I am deeply sorry for the links with transatlantic chattel slavery. That some within the Church actively supported and profited from it is a source of shame.”

A poll by Merlin Strategy has now found that 61 per cent of respondents might withhold further donations if the commitment goes ahead.

The survey of 500 churchgoing Anglicans found broad opposition to the policy, with 81 per cent saying Church funds should be used to support local parishes instead, and only 19 per cent backing reparations as a priority.

The Church Commissioners’s endowment was valued at £11.1bn at the end of 2024. It generates income to support the Church of England’s mission, including clergy, cathedrals and work in the poorest communities. The fund is legally restricted to supporting parish churches and clergy stipends.

Last February, a report by the Policy Exchange think tank found that the reparations plan was “historically uninformed” and may lack legal justification because it departs from the Church’s core duties.

The Merlin Strategy poll suggests many Anglicans share that view. Sixty-four per cent agreed that it is not the role of the Church Commissioners to atone for historic injustices such as slavery using funds in their care, regardless of whether the Church itself was involved. Thirty-six per cent disagreed.

Money ‘should go towards parishes’

When asked how Church assets should be used, respondents strongly favoured supporting parish priorities. Seventy-one per cent said funds should go towards repairs, maintenance and running church buildings, while 48 per cent backed funding regular services. The same proportion supported funding for Church staff and volunteers.

A further 41 per cent said recruiting, training and supporting parish clergy should be prioritised. Only 24 per cent said funding reparations for historic injustices should be a priority use of Church funds.

The findings come as the Church Commissioners press ahead with plans to repurpose £100m from their central fund for reparations, spread over nine years.

The money would be spent on “a programme of investment, research and engagement” in communities damaged by the enslavement of African people during the transatlantic slave trade.

To bypass legal restrictions on the fund, the commissioners are seeking Charity Commission approval to make an ex gratia payment into a new body, the Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice.

The proposal has been criticised by MPs and peers as a potential breach of charitable law and a troubling precedent for other institutions.