The treatment of Windrush migrants by our Government is a national scandal. 

The Fifth Report of the Home Affairs Committee on the Windrush Compensation Scheme and a separate report commissioned by JUSTICE  both made it clear that the administration of the Scheme by the Home Office has suffered from serious failings.

The Home Affairs Committee Report reveals that a vast number of deserving applicants who have applied haven’t received a penny, with 23 dying before receiving any compensation.

A number of law firms around the City are providing free advice to Claimants but the Scheme’s requirements are onerous and overly complicated and Claimants suffer from significant delays. 

Among the conclusions of the Committee is that the Scheme must be completely revamped and removed from the purview of the Home Office.

The Home Office’s role as tortfeasor makes it extremely problematic that it is responsible both for the design and administration of the Scheme and that it has full control over interpretation of the scheme rules, with no recourse to independent review.

The Scheme’s administration must take the form of a demonstrably independent, single-stage review process in which claimants could have greater confidence, such as a judge-led panel, whose decisions the Home Office should then implement.