The Church of England is contending with a legal challenge to Project Spire, a £100 million initiative aimed at advancing reparative justice related to the institution’s historical involvement with enslavement. The project was established in 2023 following research into Queen Anne’s Bounty, an endowment fund dating to 1704 that had invested in the South Sea Company, known to have transported more than 34,000 enslaved people across the Atlantic. The fund also received contributions from individuals such as Edward Colston, a prominent figure in the Royal African Company.
The Church Commissioners, which manages church assets, committed £100 million in funding for the initiative, expected to develop an impact investment fund that could support startups in descendant communities with social and environmental objectives alongside financial returns. Project Spire has attracted opposition from the Policy Exchange think tank and various Conservative politicians, as well as some Church of England members who contend the project lacks historical foundation and question whether funds should be directed elsewhere.
During the General Synod meeting in York, Stephen Cottrell, archbishop of York, characterized the project as a “work of healing, justice and repair.” Daniel Matovu, a barrister representing the diocese of Oxford, stated that research indicated the Church generated approximately £5 million annually in contemporary monetary terms from operating sugar plantations in Barbados between 1710 and 1838, totaling roughly £640 million over the period. Graham Usher, bishop of Norwich, acknowledged that no sum could adequately compensate for historical enslavement but framed Project Spire as a necessary beginning.
The Anglican missionary organisation USPG established a separate £7 million reparative justice project in 2024 following an apology for owning two plantations in Barbados where thousands were enslaved. Church staff members involved with Project Spire have reportedly faced hostile communications, according to officials addressing the synod. Usher confirmed the legal challenge against the initiative and indicated the Church Commissioners would seek comprehensive legal counsel regarding the matter.
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