Windrush scandal: ‘Officials ignored warnings’

THE HOME Office failed to act on repeated warning signs of failings in the lead-up to the Windrush scandal and has yet to establish the full scale of the problems, a major new report has found.

Whitehall’s spending watchdog said the department was aware of “credible information” about possible issues as long as four years ago.

Official impact assessments about “hostile environment” measures did not give sufficient consideration to the risk of unfair consequences, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).

It concluded some Home Office processes contributed to the risk of wrongful detentions and removals.

Head of the NAO Sir Amyas Morse said: “The treatment of people who had a legitimate right to remain in the UK raises grave questions about how the Home Office discharged its duty of care towards people who were made vulnerable because of lack of documentation.

“It failed to protect their rights to live, work and access services in the UK, and many have suffered distress and material loss as a result. This was both predictable and forewarned.

“The department is taking steps to put things right for the Caribbean community but it has shown a surprising lack of urgency to identify other groups that may have been affected.”

Ministers faced a furious backlash over the treatment of the Windrush generation – named after a ship that brought migrants to Britain from the Caribbean in 1948.

Thousands of people from West Indian islands took up the British Government’s offer to come in to the country as “citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies”. Many came to live in West Yorkshire, becoming an integral part of the social fabric of today’s local communities.

Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973 were automatically granted indefinite leave to remain but many were not issued with any documents confirming their status.

A public outcry erupted earlier this year after it emerged longterm UK residents were denied access to services, held in detention or removed despite living legally in the country for decades.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid issued a profound apology to the Windrush generation and is “absolutely determined to right the wrongs of the past”, the Home Office said.

A spokesman for the department said: “As the NAO’s report acknowledges, our taskforce has taken thousands of phone calls and helped over 2,400 people of any nationality prove their status in the UK.”