‘Hurry for justice’: Windrush victims dying without redress, commissioner says | Windrush scandal
The Windrush commissioner has warned of a “rush for justice” as more victims of the scandal die without compensation, while stakeholders have called for a public inquiry and legislative change amid fears the Reform government could stall progress towards justice.
Speaking on the sidelines of a public inquiry symposium for those affected by the Windrush scandal, the Rev. Clive Foster said action was needed “immediately” to ensure justice for Britons whose lives were turned upside down after they were wrongly classified as illegal immigrants.
“Whether we see the political landscape or not, I think the period has been long enough and that is the very motivation we have to move forward for justice,” said Foster, a vicar from Nottingham whose parents came to the UK from Jamaica in 1959 and was tasked with overseeing the government’s response to the scandal.
“Unfortunately, we are losing so many generations who are suffering and time is not on our side. I am a man in a hurry for justice,” he added.
The second public inquiry symposium, held in North London on Saturday, continued to press the government to launch a statutory public inquiry into the scandal, as it brought together victims, campaigners and advocates determined to pave the way to justice by putting victims’ voices at the forefront.
The Windrush scandal was brought to public attention by the Guardian’s investigative reporting in 2017; This news revealed that thousands of legal UK residents were wrongly labeled as immigration offenders. Government programs that provide immigration status and compensation to those affected have since provided documentation to 17,000 people, and as of July 2024, 2,600 out of 8,800 claims have been paid.
Six months after Foster’s appointment, Labor, pledging to improve the government’s response, adopted many of Foster’s recommendations to reform the Windrush compensation scheme. But years after the scandal, many people still struggle to navigate the process, which has been described as inefficient, bureaucratic and re-traumatizing.
Among those still affected is Deborah, who has been supporting her brother in Barbados for decades after he was unable to return to the UK after arriving as a Commonwealth citizen in 1966. “He didn’t leave with the intention of not coming back,” said Deborah, who wanted to withhold her last name.
She had been instructed by the Home Office to apply for the Windrush scheme last year, but the family did not know because her mother did not arrive on the Windrush boat, which carried thousands of people from the Caribbean to the UK in 1948 and became shorthand for the scandal. Deborah said the claim was rejected because she did not know the extent of evidence needed. He traveled to Barbados in recent months to collect documents to support his brother’s case.
“There is so much neglect,” said Deborah. “There should be a public investigation and the voices of the victims should be heard and listened to, and just apologizing is not enough, concrete things should be done.”
Some expressed concern on Saturday that they feared a change in Labour’s immigration policy would create a “next generation Windrush”, while others, such as campaigner Garrick Prayogg, said the only solution was legislative change.
“If we cannot introduce legislation before the next general election, what will happen if Reformation comes?” Prayogg said he was calling for changes to the current hostile environment policy that led to the scandal.
Windrush Day founder Patrick Vernon said that although he did not think the current Labor government was moving to ease current immigration policy, there were other changes alongside the legislation, including a public inquiry and the removal of the compensation scheme from the Home Office.
“Why are black people given less money, no legal aid, less support?” said Vernon, referring to the Post Office and infected blood scandals. “Why are we treated differently?”
He added: “With Ryanair you get a better service from the Home Office.”
