The government will scale down dual celebrations of independence and republican status, absorb fuel costs to shield households from global price shocks, and prepare to take a new Constitution of Barbados to public consultation, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has said.

Addressing citizens at the Ideas Forum town hall meeting, Mottley said guiding a small island state through global conflict and inflation requires difficult, empathetic choices. To prioritise public funds for economic relief rather than pageantry, she confirmed that the government will compress the dual celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of Independence and the fifth anniversary of the republic into a three-month period.

“What I’m not going to do as prime minister of this country is to misallocate funds or misprioritise funds when circumstances clearly show you are dealing with a war,” Mottley declared.