Our Windrush campaign

Political leaders, celebrities and public figures have joined together to back our national Windrush Campaign

As many are aware, the Windrush Scandal began to surface in 2017 after it emerged that thousands of Black Britons who arrived in the UK from the Caribbean after World War II, many of whom were from the ‘Windrush’ generation, had been wrongly detained, deported and denied legal rights.

Despite the fact that the Home Office said it was "committed to righting the wrongs of Windrush", the government’s compensation scheme that was established to right these wrongs is still continuing to fail the very same generation. Research by Human Rights Watch (2023) shows that as of January 2023, only 12.8% of the estimated 11,500 eligible claimants have been compensated. This lack of action, care, and remedial support is genuinely shameful. The Home Office itself has even revealed that over 20 people have died while waiting for their Windrush compensation claims to be paid.

That is why we have written to the UK Home Office to ask the department to take action by committing to the following steps:

  • Establish and publish a clear 'time limit target' for handling Windrush compensation claims that are currently managed by the UK Home Office.

  • Publish a reformed national strategy that includes steps to hand over the process to an independent body which understands the needs and experiences of communities affected by the scandal.

We also requested a meeting with the Minister, as we would like to discuss the range of policy recommendations made by organisations, legal experts and civil society groups who have first-hand experience of working with the Windrush generation.

Many of the political leaders, celebrities and public figures (listed below) who co-signed our letter are from Black Caribbean backgrounds themselves. This is an issue that is genuinely close to our hearts, and we are incredibly grateful for the support from our co-signatories.

We hope that the Government Minister listens to this call to action. For far too long, Black communities have endured ongoing harm caused by the UK Home Office. It is crucial that more effective measures are taken by the government.

List of co-signatories of our letter to the UK Home Office:

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“There are Black communities across the UK who are still experiencing ongoing harm caused by the actions of the UK Home Office. When I launched this campaign, I wanted to highlight the fact that there are so many public figures across a variety of age groups who genuinely care about the Windrush generation, and want to hold the UK Government to account. I myself am 29 years old, and I know that this issue is one that holds extreme importance amongst my generation, and the generations before. That is why so many of us, from a variety of different professions, age groups and sectors, have joined together to collectively state that the ongoing harm can no longer continue. We want the Home Office to act now, to set clear time limit targets for handling compensation claims, and to take steps to hand over the scheme to an independent body. The Windrush Generation must receive the compensation they deserve”.

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“The trauma people faced, and continue to face, as a result of the Windrush Scandal is difficult to begin to process, and it’s something we shouldn’t ever accept as normal. Every person impacted deserves the compensation they are owed for what they went through, and humanity is at its best when we stand together and speak up for justice.”

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“This year we celebrate 75 years since the Windrush Generation came to the UK to help rebuild our country and its public services. Their contributions have had a profound impact on Britain and enriched this country. That’s why the Windrush scandal and how successive Tory governments have treated them, including creating the hostile environment, is a stain on our country. The government must urgently act to right the wrongs through setting a clear 'time limit target' for handling Windrush compensation claims and a reformed national strategy that includes steps to hand over the process to an independent body.”

The UK Home Office responded to our letter on 7th July 2023

Their full response can be found below.

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We are very disappointed with the Minister’s position on the Windrush Compensation Scheme, and we are now working directly with political leaders in the UK House of Lords to push for change.

The Independent covered the Home Office’s response to our letter. Read the full article below.

Recent work

We recently worked with Lord Simon Woolley, to push the UK Government to do more to support victims of the Windrush Scandal.

We helped arrange for Lord Simon Woolley to speak in Baroness Floella Benjamin’s debate, titled “The Windrush scandal and the implementation and effectiveness of the Windrush Compensation Scheme”.

The debate was held in the UK House of Lords Chamber and aired live on Parliament TV.

Watch Lord Simon Woolley’s speech below!

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