May vows a full Windrush review
THERESA May faced claims of ordering a ‘cover up’ over the Windrush scandal after Labour attempts to force ministers to publish eight years of internal documents failed.
The Prime Minister pledged a ‘package of measures to bring transparency on the issue,’ including a review which will have ‘full access’ to Home Office information.
Her proposal emerged as the Government faced the prospect of being forced to hand over correspondence - including text messages and emails - between ministers, officials and special advisers between May 2010 and 2018.
Labour used a parliamentary procedure - which involves asking the Queen to direct her ministers to provide the requested documents - to try to ensure the information would have been given to the Home Affairs Select Committee.
But the Opposition’s motion was comfortably defeated by 316 votes to 221, with just 180 of Labour’s 258 MPs voting in favour - with a further two of its MPs acting as tellers for the ayes.
A total of 306 Conservative MPs opposed the motion, prompting shadow home secretary Diane Abbott to accuse Mrs May of missing an opportunity to start to ‘right the wrongs’ done against the Windrush generation.
She said: “After losing her human shield with the resignation of Amber Rudd, the architect of this scandal, Theresa May, ordered her MPs to vote to cover up the truth of her involvement.
“This is nothing short of a betrayal of the Windrush generation and others who have been affected by the Government’s heartless ‘hostile environment,’ and flies in the face of the new Home Secretary’s promise to make things right.
“Tory MPs will now have to explain to the people whose lives have been turned upside down why they think they don’t deserve the facts to be known and don’t deserve proper justice.”
Mrs May, speaking earlier at Prime Minister’s Questions, said ‘speed is of the essence’ and Home Secretary Sajid Javid ‘will be commissioning a full review of lessons learned, independent oversight and external challenge with the intention of reporting back to this House before we rise for the summer.’
The review will have ‘full access to all relevant information in the Home Office, including policy papers and casework decisions.’
Mr Javid added the Government’s ‘transparency’ plans included him writing each month to Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, to provide updates on ‘progress’ along with the latest position on detention, removals and deportations.
He added the review would aim to understand how members of the Windrush generation ‘came to be entangled in measures designed for illegal immigrants,’ why it was not spotted sooner and if the ‘right corrective measures’ are in place.