Theresa May accused of making Home Office “heartless and hopeless†as pressure mounts over Windrush scandal
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- 19 Apr 2021
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Theresa May was accused of turning the Home Office into a “heartless and hopeless” department today as she came under mounting pressure over the Windrush scandal.
Jeremy Corbyn said the Prime Minister was running a Government “that is both callous and incompetent” after Caribbean migrants with every right to live in Britain were threatened with deportation.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, the Labour leader blamed the Tory chief for creating a “hostile environment” for illegal immigrants during her six years at the Home Office.
Mr Corbyn told the Commons: “This is a shameful episode and the responsibility for it lies firmly at the Prime Minister’s door.
“Her pandering to bogus immigration targets led to a hostile environment for people contributing to our country.”
The PM issued another humiliating apology, amid growing calls for those put in fear of being booted out to receive compensation.
She said: “These people are British, they are part of us.
“I want to be absolutely clear that we have no intention of asking anyone to leave who has the right to remain here.
“For those who have mistakenly received letters challenging them I want to apologise them and I want to say sorry to anyone who has been caused confusion and anxiety by this.”
A total of 113 people have called a Government hotline for members of the Windrush generation with concerns about their migration status, the Home Office said tonight.
Mrs May also came under fire for presiding over the destruction of landing cards of Commonwealth citizens, which could have helped confirm their immigration status.
While the decision was taken by the UK Border Agency under Labour in 2009, she had been Home Secretary for five months by the time they were binned in October 2010.
Current Home Secretary Amber Rudd, whose handling of the Windrush scandal has been heavily criticised, will be grilled by the Home Affairs Committee next Wednesday.
Chairwoman Yvette Cooper said: “We have a series of questions, both on why this has happened and on what is being done to resolve the problem.”
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness called for compensation for those affected by the fiasco.
The migrants - named after the ship which brought the first wave from Jamaica to Britain in 1948 - faced being expelled from the UK under new immigration rules which mean they must prove they have the right to be in the UK to rent property, work or access services and benefits.
However, Whitehall officials failed to keep detailed enough records of people who were allowed to stay before 1973, meaning it is difficult for Windrush migrants to prove they are eligible.
Demanding pay outs, Mr Holness told ITV: “If there is an acceptance that a wrong was done then there should be a process of restoration - and I’m certain that the very strong and robust civil society and democracy that you have will come up with a process of compensation.”
Human rights lawyers believed the victims would have a case.
Jamie Beagent, of Leigh Day, said: “The so-called hostile environment policy, which has been government policy for a number of years, is the culmination of decades of increasingly draconian immigration law and policy.
“When many of the Windrush generation arrived there was no need to apply for any formal leave to reside in the UK.
“Over the years more and more barriers to immigrants have been thrown up and increasingly draconian legislation and policy adopted.
“These policies have been shown to be not only morally reprehensible but have created an environment where many of the Windrush generation continue to be subjected to unlawful treatment.”
Meanwhile, Mrs May might have “misled Parliament” over Caribbean migrant suffering from prostate cancer who faces a £54,000 NHS bill, Labour’s Chuka Umunna said tonight.
The PM said 63-year-old Albert Thompson - not his real name - will get his care for free.
But Mr Umunna said: “My constituent hasn’t received his treatment, and if there are any plans that have been made for him to get this treatment, then he certainly has not been informed of it.”
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust said: "Mr Thompson has been continuing on treatment by his GP under the direction of his cancer specialist.
"Throughout this period we have been committed to resolving Mr Thompson’s eligibility for further NHS treatment with his legal advisers.
"The cancer specialist has contacted Mr Thompson to assess him in clinic for his next stage of NHS treatment.”
