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Labour demands Windrush compensation is handed to independent body following ‘systematic mismanagement’ by Home Office

THE Home Office must hand over control of the failed Windrush compensation scheme to a new independent body following the government’s “systematic mismanagement,” Labour will urge today.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel to coincide with Windrush Day.

He says that “the lack of progress [on the scheme] allows the shameful failings exposed by the [Wendy Williams] review to continue.”

Mr Thomas-Symonds goes on to say that placing it under a new independent body will “help restore faith in the process and get compensation quickly to people who have been so appallingly treated” and adds that “the time for warm words is over.”

The call comes as recent findings from a National Audit Office (NAO) report revealed that the scheme was “not meeting its objective of compensating claimants quickly.”

Just 687 people have received compensation from the 11,500 people that the Home Office estimated might be eligible, according to government figures.

At least 21 people have died while waiting for justice.

The scandal erupted in 2018 when British citizens, mostly from the Caribbean, were wrongly detained, deported or threatened with deportation, despite having the right to live in Britain.

Many lost homes and jobs and were denied access to healthcare and benefits.

Mr Thomas-Symonds said: “Windrush Day is a historic day in our national story and we owe the Windrush generation an enormous debt of gratitude.

“Shamefully, the mishandling of the Windrush compensation scheme by Conservative ministers has heaped insult upon injustice. The numbers speak for themselves.

“Labour is calling for urgent action to overhaul the scheme by placing it under independent leadership away from the Home Office.

“This is to help restore faith in the process and quickly get compensation to people who have been so appallingly treated. This injustice cannot continue.”

Shadow women and equalities secretary Marsha de Cordova said that the injustice faced by the Windrush generation cannot continue.

She added: “The Windrush compensation scheme must be placed under independent leadership away from the Home Office so that people can finally receive the compensation they deserve.

“The Windrush scandal was an example of racial injustice, which is still experienced by many black Caribbean people across British society.

“That is why the next Labour government will introduce a race equality Act to systematically tackle structural and institutional racism.”

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) said: "There years on from the Windrush scandal and there is still no justice for the many black Britons who had their lives devastated by this government’s hostile immigration policies.

"Despite repeated promises to right the wrongs of the scandal, hundreds are still waiting for compensation from the Home Office, with several victims having sadly passed away without ever receiving the financial redress or justice they were owed.

"Meanwhile the dangerous and discriminatory set of policies at the root of the scandal remain firmly in place, with many people pushed into debt and destitution as a result. EU citizens are set to face similarly dire risks post-Brexit, proving that no lessons have been learnt.

"If this government were serious about delivering justice, it would scrap the Hostile Environment immediately, take the compensation scheme out of the Home Office’s hands, and grant victims of the scandal the legal aid they need.”

The Home Office was approached for comment.

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