BRITISH High Commissioner to Jamaica Alicia Herbert says expanding Diaspora engagement and cultural exchange are central to her mission, describing people-to-people connections as the lifeblood of relations between Jamaica and the United Kingdom (UK).

Speaking during this week’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange, Herbert pointed to the millions of personal, cultural, and family links between the two countries as a powerful force that continues to shape the partnership, even beyond formal diplomatic and political arrangements.

She said her immediate focus includes engaging Jamaican communities living in Britain and strengthening collaboration in areas such as heritage, education, and culture.

“We’re looking now at, for example, the National Archives in the UK, looking at training programmes and exchanges there. I’m very focused on wanting to engage the diaspora in the UK and so I’m in the UK [in] two weeks’ time and intend to hold meetings with big diaspora communities in London as well as in the Midlands,” Herbert said.

She added that Jamaica’s global influence in areas such as sports and music presents opportunities to deepen those bonds even further.

“So what I would say is, I’m ambitious about what we do on the people-to-people lens. We’re working that through at the moment and, hopefully, you will see more of that in the months to come,” she said.

Her comments come at a time when Jamaica is considering constitutional reform which would see the country severing ties with the monarchy to become a republic and replace United Kingdom Privy Council as its final court of appeal.

However, Herbert made clear that such decisions would not alter the importance of maintaining strong ties between London and Kingston.

“I think whatever constitutional arrangement that you’ve got between the UK and Jamaica, I hope that the relationship remains strong. We can look at examples in the region — Trinidad and Tobago is a republic and has been for many, many years. Barbados became a republic within the last year or two, for example. The relationship there is very strong… Their constitutional arrangements have changed over time, but what I think sits at the heart of it is wanting to maintain that — the strength of the bilateral relationship — and that’s why the people-to-people [relationship] is so important,” she said.

Drawing on her own experiences since arriving in Jamaica, Herbert said she has been struck by how deeply personal and widespread the connections between the two countries are, often appearing in unexpected everyday interactions.

“There isn’t a day that I’ve had since I’ve been here where I haven’t encountered somebody somewhere — be it from the supermarket to a meeting in an office somewhere — where there isn’t a connection somehow to the UK,” she said.

Britain and Jamaica share centuries-old ties rooted in colonial history, migration, and cultural exchange. Today, hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans and their descendants live in the UK, forming one of the most influential Caribbean Diaspora communities.

Herbert said preserving and strengthening those human connections remain essential to ensuring the relationship continues to evolve for the benefit of both nations.

“So whatever the constitutional arrangement, I think, our job as two nations is to continue to strengthen that relationship to our mutual advantage and to mutual benefit,” she said.