Victims of the Windrush scandal will be better supported to apply
for compensation through a £1.5 million fund as the Home
Secretary sets out a ‘fundamental reset' to the Windrush
generation.
The Home Secretary has today set out the first steps that the new
government is taking to ensure justice is finally delivered for
victims of the Windrush scandal. She will commit to working more
closely with communities affected, and to appointing a new
Windrush Commissioner to hold the government to account on the
delivery of the recommendations in the Wendy Lessons Learned Review. The
Commissioner will act as a trusted voice for victims and Windrush
communities and also champion improvements and lasting change.
In a written statement, has published details of
£1.5million in government grant funding, which will be used to
increase advocacy support for victims applying to the Windrush
Compensation Scheme.
Within weeks of taking office, the Home Secretary re-established
the Windrush Unit within the Home Office, to oversee its response
to the scandal and embed lasting cultural change across the
department. The unit was disbanded under the previous government
in July 2023.
These actions come as the Home Secretary later today chairs a
roundtable discussion with key stakeholders and sets out the
government's renewed commitment to work with them to achieve
justice for victims. This follows a separate meeting the Home
Secretary has had with Wendy , to discuss her vision for a
changed Home Office.
Home Secretary said:
The Windrush scandal caused terrible pain and heartache for so
many families in the Windrush generation and in wider
Commonwealth communities. It is rightly recognised as a period of
national shame.
The hurt and anguish felt by so many has been compounded further
for those who haven't received the compensation and justice they
are owed. The Windrush generation have been let down and we are
committed to a fundamental reset of the response to this scandal.
We are changing the government's approach – working more closely
with victims, stakeholders, and communities, as well as those
affected by all the department's work, to ensure a scandal of
this kind can never happen again and dignity can be restored to
those so tragically affected.
The government is determined to hear first hand from the Windrush
generation, their families and wider commonwealth communities to
ensure that their experiences are listened to and learned from.
