Home Office failed to act on repeat Windrush warnings, report finds

The Home Office failed to act on repeated warning signs of Windrush failings and has yet to establish the full scale of the scandal, a major 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).

The organisation found that 0 Sir Amyas Morse says grave questions have been raised

some Home Office processes had 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.”