The Church of England is confronting legal opposition to Project Spire, a £100m reparative justice initiative tied to the institution’s historical involvement in slavery. The project was established in 2023 following research into Queen Anne’s Bounty, an endowment fund dating to 1704, which had invested in the South Sea Company—a firm responsible for transporting more than 34,000 enslaved people across the Atlantic. The fund also received contributions from Edward Colston, a prominent figure in the Royal African Company.
The Church Commissioners, which oversees church assets, committed £100m in funding with the intention to create an impact investment fund that would support enterprises in descendant communities while generating financial returns alongside social and environmental benefits. During discussions at the General Synod in York, Daniel Matovu, a barrister representing the diocese of Oxford, highlighted that the Church had not merely profited from the slave trade but had “supported, defended and participated in” it. He noted that the Church generated approximately £5m yearly in contemporary monetary terms from operating sugar plantations in Barbados between 1710 and 1838, totaling roughly £640m historically.
The initiative has drawn substantial criticism from rightwing organizations such as Policy Exchange and various political figures, along with some Church members who characterize the project as “historically uninformed” and contend resources should be directed elsewhere. Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, framed Project Spire as a “work of healing, justice and repair.” Bishop Graham Usher of Norwich acknowledged the legal challenge while emphasizing that no monetary amount could adequately address historical enslavement, and he confirmed the Church Commissioners were seeking comprehensive legal counsel.
Spire staff members have faced hostile communications and abuse from critics, according to church officials. The Anglican organization USPG established a separate £7m reparative justice initiative in 2024 following an apology for owning plantations in Barbados where thousands of enslaved individuals labored. Bishop Usher underscored the Church’s responsibility regarding Queen Anne’s Bounty’s investment in transatlantic slavery, citing both the historical abhorrence of the trade and its continuing effects on disadvantaged populations.