Victims concerned over missing Windrush reform

Windrush campaigners person expressed interest that the location caput has yet to denote erstwhile she volition instrumentality a cardinal proposal from the government’s review.

On Thursday, Yvette Cooper announced an further £1.5m of backing to assistance victims use for compensation overseen by a Windrush Commissioner - but did not manus implicit recommended powers to a watchdog.

Campaigners told the BBC they were blessed with Labour's approach, but thought the caller strategy lacked "teeth".

A Home Office root described the changes arsenic the “first acceptable of announcements connected Windrush since the election,” adding that the absorption had been connected priorities highlighted by campaigners and victims.

The Windrush Review's report, published by Wendy Williams successful 2020, made 30 recommendations which were each adopted by past location caput Priti Patel.

But successful January 2023, her successor Suella Braverman dropped 3 of them, including establishing a migrants' commissioner relation and giving the migration watchdog - the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration - the powerfulness to people its ain reports.

The watchdog presently has the powerfulness to transportation retired investigations, but the findings tin lone beryllium published by the location secretary.

Following a ineligible situation by Windrush unfortunate Trevor Donald, a justice successful June condemned Braverman's actions arsenic “conspicuously unfair".

On Thursday, Cooper announced a Windrush commissioner would beryllium appointed, but did not notation the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration.

In February the then-chief inspector David Neal was sacked for leaking reports helium had written that helium claimed the Home Office was sitting on.

At the time, Cooper who was inactive successful absorption said a “series of Conservative location secretaries person sought to hide uncomfortable truths revealed by the main inspector”.

On Thursday, Cooper said she was “changing the government's approach” to “ensure a ungraded of this benignant tin ne'er hap again and dignity tin beryllium restored to those truthful tragically affected”.

A Home Office root said this was the “first acceptable of announcements connected Windrush since the election” and said the absorption had been connected priorities raised by campaigners and victims.

They indicated that a caller Windrush Unit, besides announced today, could look astatine however to instrumentality the last recommendation.

Following today’s announcement Cooper met representatives of Windrush run groups.

Some of those contiguous welcomed the code of the location caput and said the caller authorities appeared to “get” what it was that campaigners were looking for.

But they said determination was nary notation of erstwhile the Home Office would look astatine much powers for the main inspector.

One said that the main inspector needs to “have teeth” and beryllium capable to clasp ministers to relationship “in a due way”.

They said today’s gathering “marked the beginning” of relations betwixt the caller Labour government.

Campaigners said that Cooper had made it wide determination were inactive parts of the Home Office that needed to change.

Another said the gathering was “uplifting” compared to ones held with Conservative ministers, but said the main inspector “needs to beryllium capable to people its findings” successful bid to forestall a akin ungraded happening again.

The Windrush ungraded emerged successful 2018 erstwhile Commonwealth citizens, mostly from the Caribbean, were wrongly detained, deported oregon threatened with deportation contempt having the close to unrecorded and enactment successful the UK.

It was discovered that the Home Office had kept nary records of those granted support to enactment and had not issued the paperwork they needed to corroborate their status.

Many mislaid homes and jobs and were denied entree to healthcare and benefits.

The authorities apologised successful 2018, erstwhile it launched the Williams’ review.