Windrush scandal still a stain on society, Floella Benjamin tells Lords event

"The Windrush scandal remains a stain on British society, Floella Benjamin has said at an emotional House of Lords event where campaigners called for the government to commission a statutory inquiry into continuing Home Office errors. Despite seven years of promises from ministers to rectify the mistakes caused by the Home Office scandal, Lady Benjamin said the injustices remained unresolved, with many of those affected still caught up in an ongoing nightmare."

"Several people gave powerful testimonies describing how their lives had been destroyed by Home Office errors that led to thousands of people from the Caribbean and Commonwealth being wrongly classified as illegal immigrants. Some participants in the event said they were exposed to a second wave of traumatising treatment when their claims for compensation were rejected by Home Office employees."

"The architect of the Windrush compensation scheme in 2018, Martin Forde, announced he was ready to help campaigners suggest a radical redesign of the way compensation payments are made, noting that he felt officials had displayed a woeful lack of commitment to his scheme. We have been too passive for too long, he said, adding that it was time to shame and embarrass the Home Office into paying those affected the compensation they are owed."

The Windrush scandal continues to leave many Caribbean and Commonwealth residents wrongly classified as illegal immigrants, with lives destroyed by Home Office errors. Promises by ministers over seven years to rectify the mistakes have not resolved widespread injustices, leaving many people still trapped in an ongoing nightmare. Several individuals reported further trauma when compensation claims were rejected by Home Office employees. Campaigners contrasted slow Windrush redress payments with quicker payouts in the Post Office scandal and demanded urgent reform and a formal Hillsborough-style inquiry into causes and culture at the Home Office. In the absence of official action, a people's inquiry is planned and experts have proposed a radical redesign of the compensation scheme.

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