'The UK Remains the Same State'

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Lagos, Nigeria | AGENCIES | A legal expert has challenged arguments that the United Kingdom’s present government cannot be held responsible for wrongdoing committed during the colonial era, saying changes in political leadership do not change the identity of the state under international law.

Dr. Asikia Karibi-Whyte, a jurisprudence and international law expert, made the argument recently during a panel discussion at the University of Lagos following the launch of CO2lonialism, Ecocide and Reparations , a new research report examining the ecological legacy of colonial rule in Africa.

Responding to questions surrounding Britain’s potential responsibility for colonial-era environmental damage, Dr. Karibi-Whyte said the argument that a current government cannot pay for the wrongdoing of previous governments is weak because the law recognises the United Kingdom as a continuing state entity, irrespective of changes in government personnel.