Windrush Day should be a moment to pay tribute to a generation who arrived in the UK to rebuild our economy and our public services after the second world war – to the nurses, doctors, bus drivers, construction workers, care workers and many others who faced down prejudice and discrimination, and worked hard all their lives to strengthen our communities, our culture and our country.
But it also shines a searing spotlight on the terrible Windrush scandal – and the shameful fact that it is enduring because so many Windrush families still haven’t seen the justice or the compensation they deserve. Supporting the Windrush generation isn’t good enough if too many of them are still being let down today.
The scandal first emerged seven years ago. Thanks to brave Windrush victims like Paulette Wilson and Anthony Bryan, who told their stories, brilliant journalism from Amelia Gentleman in the Guardian, and determined campaigning in parliament by Labour MPs such as David Lammy and Diane Abbott, the shocking truth emerged about the way some of the Windrush generation were being treated by the British state. British citizens who had travelled from across the Commonwealth to work here in the UK being stripped of their rights – unable to work, to get NHS treatment, held in detention, even deported.
As chair of the home affairs select committee investigating the scandal at the time, I asked Windrush families to tell us about their experiences. “No one in my family knows I am going through this. I have kept it from them because I am a proud person. I am ex-military.” Those were the words of Anthony Williams, a Royal Artillery veteran who arrived in the UK aged seven from Jamaica. He faced the most unimaginable destitution as a result of being wrongly denied his status by the British government. He couldn’t work for more than five years, he couldn’t get a GP or a dentist appointment, and lost most of his teeth as a result.
Anthony sadly died in March – but his words are testament not just to the devastating personal price paid by individuals and their families, but also to the courageous campaigning of those who told their stories to bring the scandal to light. The battle they faced to be heard compounded the original injustice they faced.
Seven years after this shocking scandal was brought to light, it is shameful to see how many people are still waiting or struggling with the compensation system. Families and campaigners I spoke to this week told me how difficult the compensation scheme still is for people to navigate, how long it takes to get a fair settlement sorted out, and how distressing it can be having to relive the horrors the government has already put them through. Although 15,000 people were originally estimated to be eligible for compensation, just 2519 claims have actually been paid out, as many people haven’t been reached by Home Office outreach events.
Even more disappointing was Suella Braverman’s decision to disband the Windrush unit, reversing recommendations that had been accepted by her own government to repair some of the damage.
A Labour government will turn the page. If we’re elected on 4 July, Labour will speed up the compensation payments to those who were so badly wronged. We are determined to ensure that there is meaningful change so that a scandal like Windrush can never happen again.
We’ll start by ensuring that the Windrush compensation scheme is delivered effectively, restoring community engagements to encourage applications, as well as the reconciliation events promised after the Wendy Williams Lessons Learned review but abandoned by the Conservatives. We’ll speed up compensation payments – and if the scheme continues to fail, we’ll overhaul it entirely to ensure it commands the confidence of the community.
We will re-establish the Windrush unit within the Home Office to continue the vital transformation work it had started within the department to embed lasting cultural change. And we will appoint a new Windrush commissioner to oversee the delivery of the compensation scheme and the implementation of the Williams review – and to be a voice for families and communities in making sure change happens. Trust needs to be rebuilt between Windrush victims and campaigners and the Home Office.
This country owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the Windrush generation. It’s time to give back to those who have given so much – that’s what a Labour government is determined to deliver.
Yvette Cooper is Labour’s shadow home secretary
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