Windrush scandal victims and campaigners are set to hold a rally urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to action campaign promises to “turbo-charge” the compensation scheme.
This comes following the Home Office report that Tories attempted to bury which detailed the racist roots of the Windrush scandal and found that immigration laws targeted “those who did not have white skin.” As a result, the Windrush scandal emerged in 2017 after Black British citizens namely from the Commonwealth were wrongly detained, deported and stripped of their right to work as well as access to healthcare and housing following former Home Secretary Theresa May's Hostile Environment policies.
Those affected were known as the Windrush generation who had arrived in the UK from the Caribbean as children on their parents’ passports. Their landing cards were destroyed by the Home Office making it difficult to prove their right to remain in the country under new immigration legislation.
READ MORE: Windrush scandal racism report sparks anger as victims demand public inquiry
Victims have now called for a public inquiry and are set to hold a "compensation scheme is not fit for purpose" demonstration on October 16, outside the Houses of Parliament. As of July 31, 2024, out of 8828 claims, 4677 victims were offered £0 and 2568 have asked for a review of an offer made. Since the compensation scheme began, 53 people have died while waiting for payments.
Richard Black, 70, was exiled from Britain for 41 years after visiting his family in Trinidad. He was offered £40,000 by the Home Office in September 2022 - less than a thousand pounds for each year he was blocked from re-entering the UK. The pensioner who faced homelessness before he was able to return to the UK in April this year, says the amount was an “insult” and that the Home Office should fully compensate him for all the “pain” and “suffering” he’s endured.
Richard said: “Apart from the offer being insulting, disrespectful and all the negatives you would associate with that…to offer any person who's gone through this nonsense they’ve put me through, £40,000 doesn’t really do anything for me, for the hurt. It’s a non-discussion.” Euen Herbert who was also a victim of the Windrush scandal and spent weeks in detention says the Home Office “should not be in charge of their own mess.”
He has also called for Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to attend the rally and hear from the victims. Euen said: “They have caused us wrong. In no universe does the transgressor come to court and decide they’re going to offer redress for what they’ve done. It cannot be allowed to happen, there must be some independent oversight in this process.”
As the fight for justice continues, Richard also faces another challenge with the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) after he was told the Universal Credit payment he heavily depends on was made in error.
Despite having finally being granted the right to remain in the country after wrongly having his British citizen status revoked, Richard says he received a letter from DWP informing him he is now required to pay the £800 back stating that he failed a habitual residency test which requires a person to prove they have a right to reside in the UK.
Richard said: “I have no funds right at this juncture. I have rent of £900 to pay. My pension is £400. How am I going to survive? History repeating itself, I’ll be back on the streets again. My wife and I are fed up with the disrespect and we’re looking to sell all the furniture we bought and are looking to buy two tickets to return to the Caribbean.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Home Secretary is determined to put right the appalling injustices caused by the Windrush scandal, making sure those affected receive the compensation they rightly deserve, and ensuring cultural change is embedded permanently into the fabric of the Home Office.
"We will ensure victims of the Windrush scandal have their voices heard and that the compensation scheme is delivered efficiently.” The DWP has been contacted for comment.
