Windrush victims in line for bonanza
Windrush victims could be in line for hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation.
That’s the view of clinical injuries lawyer Martin Forde QC, the Home Office adviser designing the payout scheme.
The Windrush generation, many of whom arrived in the UK from the Caribbean between 1948-1973, could claim for loss of earnings and pension, inability to travel, not being able to get NHS treatment and distress.
A small number may also want to be compensated for being wrongly detained or removed from the UK.
Forde said: “There are potentially tens of thousands of Windrush victims. And compensation payments could run into six figures for a small proportion of them.”
He knows of one woman who lost her £ 60,000 a year job and was not able to work for 10 years.
Forde added: “But what has been impressive is the public reaction. Many say compensation should be fair regardless of cost.”
The Windrush scandal did not emerge until earlier this year. Forde said: “It remains a mystery to me why it didn’t come out sooner.”
Many f irst knew of a problem when they couldn’t get a passport.
As immigration rules tightened, they also found they couldn’t open bank accounts, get jobs or rent homes.
A Home Office taskforce have now helped about 4500 people get the documents they need. But it is not known how many people are affected.