Britain’s new Prime Minister Gordon Brown is already under pressure to turn his attention to the UK’s relationship with the Caribbean. One organization focusing on the matter of Caribbean trade, has already given Mr. Brown a 100-day ultimatum. Having now taken over the leadership from Tony Blair, Mr. Brown seems to have inherited a legacy of pressure from Caribbean well wishers. Charity organization, Oxfam, has produced a manifesto for Mr. Brown to carry out during his first 100-days in office. The proposals include the establishment of a treasury review of public procurement guidelines to create a more enabling environment for ethical trading and fair trade. The manifesto also urges Mr. Brown to declare the UK’s intent not to impose higher export tariffs on goods from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The EU has also made a tentative offer to scrap tariffs on a number of goods including fruits and fuels from these countries. In addition representatives from eight of Scotland’s major churches have signed an agreed statement on slavery which included a call to the UK government to be particularly supportive of the nations in Africa and the Caribbean which bore the brunt of the effects of the slave trade. West Indians living in the UK have given a lukewarm response to the leadership change over. The general response fielded from the average person of Caribbean ancestry is that the labour party does not take the West Indian immigrants and Caribbean nationals seriously. Reprinted from radioja.com