The Church of England is confronting legal opposition to Project Spire, a £100 million initiative designed to advance reparative justice for 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 that had invested in the South Sea Company, which transported more than 34,000 enslaved people across the Atlantic. The fund also received contributions from individuals including Edward Colston, a prominent figure in the Royal African Company.
Church leadership has characterized the initiative as necessary remedial work. At a General Synod gathering, Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, described Project Spire as “a work of healing, justice and repair.” Daniel Matovu, a barrister representing the diocese of Oxford, presented research suggesting the Church generated approximately £5 million annually in present-day terms from operating sugar plantations in Barbados between 1710 and 1838, totaling an estimated £640 million over that period. The Church Commissioners committed £100 million in funding, expected to establish an impact investment fund supporting enterprises in descendant communities.
The initiative has encountered substantial opposition from various quarters. Policy Exchange, a conservative think tank, and certain politicians have criticized the project as historically inaccurate and questioned whether church resources should be directed elsewhere. Some Church of England members have echoed these concerns. Church staff managing the project have reportedly faced what officials described as “vile abuse” and hostile communications from opponents.
A legal challenge to Project Spire is currently underway, though specific details remain undisclosed at this stage. Graham Usher, the bishop of Norwich, stated that Church Commissioners would seek comprehensive legal counsel regarding the matter. The initiative is not without precedent within Anglican structures; USPG, a missionary organization historically known as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, established its own £7 million reparative justice project in 2024 after apologizing for owning two plantations in Barbados where thousands were enslaved.
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