Dear Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Ed Davey, Humza Yousef, Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay and all party leaders:
If you are in government after the next UK general election, I’m calling on you to commit to a new debt justice law to get debt cancelled in lower income countries.
Yours sincerely,
An election has been called in the UK. It’s a rare opportunity to force debt cancellation onto the political agenda – right as we’re facing the biggest global debt crisis in over twenty years.
At a time when politicians will be keen to hear from voters, this is our chance to demand a new law that would deliver debt justice to millions in lower income countries.
Countries like Ghana and Zambia are being trapped in debt by greedy lenders – in Ghana, people have been on the streets protesting the lack of jobs and high cost of living, brought on by the debt crisis.
In the words of Bernard Anaba, a debt campaigner from Ghana:
“This new law would mean the big banks and hedge funds that hold Ghana’s debt would no longer be able to hold us to ransom. It’s crucial we campaign together for debt cancellation here in Ghana and in the UK.”
Party leaders need to know that the UK is in a unique position to end this crisis – because 90% of the debts owed by lower income countries to banks, hedge funds and oil traders are overseen by UK law!
It has never been more urgent for us to demand debt cancellation. A new debt justice law would force financial giants to play ball in negotiations, giving lower income countries a route out of the crisis.
We’re demanding that whoever is elected commits to introduce a new law to cancel debt.