Lord Murray and Wendy Williams questioned on Windrush scandal legacy
The Home Affairs Committee examines the Home Office response to the Windrush scandal on Wednesday 8 March when it takes evidence from witnesses including Government minister, Lord Murray of Blidworth; author of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review, Wendy Williams; and Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI), David Neal.
Meeting details
The Windrush scandal emerged in 2018, when it became clear that people with a legal right to live in the UK, including many descendants of the Windrush generation, had been wrongly targeted as illegal immigrants. Thousands of individuals were refused access to public services, deprived of their livelihoods and in some cases deported due to insufficient documentation proving their status and ‘hostile environment’ immigration policies.
The Williams report made 30 recommendations to change the culture of the Home Office and improve external scrutiny to its operations. Then Home Secretary, Priti Patel MP, accepted all recommendations however a progress report published in 2022 revealed that only 7 had been fully met. In January 2023, Suella Braverman announced that 3 of the recommendations would be scrapped, concerning the remit of the ICIBI, creation of a Migrants’ Commissioner and holding of reconciliation events.
A compensation scheme was also established to support and compensate victims. However, it has been criticised for lengthy process times, onerous application requirements and a lack of support for those making claims. As of December 2022, there are over 2,000 claims awaiting final decision and the overall number of applications is well below initial estimates.
In this evidence session, the Home Affairs Committee will examine if there has been meaningful change in the culture and operations of the Home Office since the Windrush Scandal. It will question why the Government has chosen to drop recommendations in the Williams review. The Committee will also investigate the implementation of the Windrush Compensation Scheme and examine why so many claims remain unresolved five years later.