Windrush and why we must forge a migration policy that’s fair for all

ONE OF the most important maxims of good government is that ‘ officials advise and ministers decide’. This enduring formulation of civil service neutrality is intended to ensure that Government ministers take responsibility for the mistakes that happen on their watch, just as they claim credit for any successes.

They should never blame their civil servants for errors of policy — only for errors in its execution.

That said, morally decent ministers — of which, sadly, there are very few these days — will shoulder the blame even if they themselves are not at fault and when errors were made by their officials.

A classic example of this occurred in 1982 when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in one of Britain’s greatest postwar humiliations.

Although this national debacle happened on his watch, there was no suggestion that the Foreign Secretary, Lord (Peter) Carrington, was at fault. His department’s staff had failed to protect this remote British Overseas Territory.

But Eton-educated Carrington, who won the Military Cross as a tank commander for his heroism during World War II, knew his duty. Namely, that the code of ministerial responsibility held that ministers were responsible to Parliament for the failures and successes of the department under their control. He duly resigned. Another old school Tory minister and Military Cross holder, Willie Whitelaw, tried to do similar. He was Home Secretary when an intruder broke into Buckingham Palace and threatened the safety of the Queen.

Whitelaw told Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher he was going to resign, but she talked him out of it.

What a shaming contrast with events of this week.

Ministers either ran for cover or tried to pass the buck when the scale of the scandal was revealed concerning the way thousands of West Indian immigrants have been treated here by the authorities.

Threatened with deportation, refused NHS care and made victims of other forms of harassment, their invidious treatment has been an utter disgrace.

Rather than own up to the responsibility for mistakes, in the noble footsteps of Carrington and Whitelaw, dishonourable Conservative ministers have blamed their civil servants.

First, David Lidington, who is deputy prime minister in all but name, pointed the finger at Whitehall officials. That squalid and low- grade remark set a despicable precedent. Next, step forward Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who heads the Government department which bears the prime responsibility for the so- called Windrush fiasco.

The indelible truth is that there had been numerous warning signs that very many people who have lived in Britain legally for more than half a century had been discriminated against because they had never formally naturalised or had not applied for a British passport.

Ms Rudd either ignored the warnings or was neglectfully oblivious of them.

Inevitably, she never entertained the idea this abrogation of duty could be a resigning matter.

Equally unprincipled, she attempted to blame her boss, Theresa May, who was Home Secretary from 2010 to 2016.

Certainly, Mrs May made a very public show at the time of trying to reduce the numbers of illegal migrants coming to Britain.

In 2012, she vowed to ‘create a really hostile environment for illegal migration’.

But note the word ‘illegal’. She was simply doing the right thing as Home Secretary to guard our borders and stop people coming to Britain who had no entitlement to be here.

THE Windrush Generation and their descendants were not in this category. They were originally invited in 1948 by the government to help rebuild postwar Britain.

Yet Labour has twisted Mrs May’s 2012 remarks completely out of context. Jeremy Corbyn, whose principles in some foreign policy areas I strongly admire, has behaved with grotesquely bad judgment again with regard the Windrush controversy.

He was deceitful at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday when he repeatedly accused Mrs May of wanting to create a hostile environment for immigrants. Note all immigrants.

Mr Corbyn was twisting the Prime Minister’s words in a disgraceful way.

The truth is that Mrs May has gone out of her way to make Britain a more civilised and decent place for people who legally come to live and work in this country.

Predictably, Mr Corbyn’s cynical contorting of the truth was followed by a Gadarene rush of Labour MPs who claimed that the treatment of Caribbeans was typical of the Tories’ entrenched ‘racism’.

This is utter and total nonsense. Like the British people in general, the members of the Tory Party are mainly a decent and tolerant lot and have always welcomed immigrants who want to make this country their home and contribute to society.

Paradoxically, reaction to the Windrush scandal proves this.

As soon as their plight was highlighted by the Press, led by the Guardian and the Mail, there was public outrage.

This didn’t just come from the Left, but from all parties across the political spectrum — including Ukip.

What this country has learned over the decades since MV Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in June 1948, carrying 492 Caribbean passengers, is that immigration policy must be guided by the values of fairness and decency.

FINALLY, Brexit will allow this country to regain control of our borders and immigration policy after years of Brussels making it impossible to control the number of migrants coming to Britain from Europe.

This week’s political crisis over Windrush is proof, not that it wasn’t crystal clear already, that Britain needs urgently to sort out its immigration policy.

If we are to continue to let illegal migrants settle here, not only would it continue to put a crushing burden on public services such as the NHS, schools and roads, but it would damage the livelihoods of those migrants who have come here legally over the past 70 years.

Certainly, it would be totally irresponsible if ministers copied the Blair government, which opened Britain up to mass migration.

For, between 1997 and 2010, the UK population was boosted by more than 2.2 million immigrants, more than twice the population of Birmingham. In Labour’s last term in government, 2005-2010, net migration reached on average 247,000 a year.

A coherent, strict but fair migration policy is a huge challenge. I’m afraid that Amber Rudd is not up to that challenge.

Given that she lacks the integrity to resign, Mrs May should find a replacement who can ensure that fairness and humanity are once again the hallmarks of Britain’s policy towards immigrants.