Cross-party Parliamentarians: the Windrush Lessons Learned Review must not be pushed to the margins

Kate Green MP, Tim Farron MP and the Lord Bishop of Durham, Rt Rev Paul Butler

30 March 2020
As we all come to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many things that must be de- prioritised or pushed to the margins. But as a cross-party group of Parliamentarians participating in the Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy (RAMP) Project, we are united in our belief that the Windrush Lessons Learned Review is not one of these things. This is a profoundly important (and long overdue) piece of work on one of the most shocking Governmental failures of our times, and it should command widespread attention.

The Windrush generation and other Commonwealth citizens were central to building the NHS and other public services that we depend on more than ever. The Windrush generation were legally resident in the UK and many had spent almost their entire lives in this country, before they became trapped in the Hostile Environment and suffered the removal of benefits, loss of housing and employment, and deportations to countries they didn’t call home.

While the scandal shocked many, the review sets out that the treatment of those affected was both ‘foreseeable and avoidable’. The Report’s contents are both damning and wide-ranging, author Wendy Williams condenses the report’s 30 recommendations to three aspects: the need for acknowledgement of the wrongs by the Home Office, the department opening itself to greater scrutiny and a change in the department’s culture to put people at the centre of policy.

On the acknowledgement of wrongs, the Home Office must begin with properly compensating members of the Windrush generation for the disgraceful treatment they have suffered. Up until now only 36 people, a mere 3% of claimants, have received compensation, with payments totalling a measly £62,198. This is simply not good enough. The onus is on the Home Office to engage communities who have seen lives uprooted and are now understandably mistrustful of the department. We welcome the plans for a public information campaign and a fund for grassroots
organisations working to support those affected. We will continue to insist that the Government take generous steps in remedying the harm caused to the Windrush generation as far as that is possible.

Beyond this immediate task, the Home Office must open itself to greater scrutiny. Through our work with the RAMP project, we have consistently tried to engage the Home Office on the issues ranging from Windrush to the new points-based system, from citizenship routes to asylum decision making. Time and again we have seen how hard it is to get a clear response or a listening ear from the Home Office. That must change, not least so that warning bells for future tragedies don’t go unheard. The registration deadline for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) on 31 June 2021 approaches quickly. The stakes for this bear clear similarities to the Windrush scandal, with large numbers of EU citizens in the UK potentially falling into legal limbo overnight if they fail to apply on time, and even those successful applicants remaining vulnerable without a physical document proving their rights.

Solving such problems will require changes to policy, but also more fundamentally to the culture in the Home Office. The experiences of the Windrush generation are eye-opening reminders of the consequences of forgetting the people that processes are meant to serve. Sadly we have
encountered this attitude in some of our dealings with the Home Office on a range of issues, including confusion around faith literacy in the asylum decision process. We are glad to note a review of faith literacy has now taken place and will be keen to see the impact of this on decision
making. The Department is clearly in need of reform, and we echo the Lessons Learned Review’s suggestions on how this change can begin.

Within the Department itself, we have glimpsed potential for a more open and collaborative team culture, particularly in the Refugee Resettlement and Community Sponsorship teams. This gives us hope that a different way is not only necessary but also possible. We welcome Home Secretary Priti Patel’s statement that the Home Office will ‘put people before process’ and will be looking to hold her to account for turning these warm words into meaningful action.

In the current COVID-19 crisis it is easy to be totally consumed by the unfolding turmoil. Wendy Williams’ Review reminds us that whilst we must meet the challenges of the moment, we cannot afford to ignore the other major challenges we face as a nation. And one of the most important of
these is how we treat with respect and dignity those who come from overseas to make their home here and contribute to our economy and society. As we all take time to digest the full details of the report, we will do our bit to ensure that this work leads to tangible change. We must ensure that the Windrush lessons are learned not buried.

Kate Green is the Labour MP for Stretford and Urmston and Chair of the APPG on Migration
Tim Farron is the Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale
The Lord Bishop of Durham, Rt Rev Paul Butler