Politics

Fury as Windrush report branding the Home Office racist is 'watered down'


Politicians have reacted with anger at claims a report branding the Home Office “institutionally racist” has been watered down.

The Times reports that a long-awaited independent review into the Windrush scandal had included the incendiary phrase in an early draft.

But no longer appears in more recent versions, sources told the newspaper.

The report was meant to be released almost a year ago after people who have lived in the UK for decades and had all legal rights to be here were detained or deported to the Caribbean.

Labour MP and Windrush campaigner David Lammy demanded that the “truth must be published in full”.

“The Windrush scandal resulted in the systematic deportation and detention of black British citizens by the UK Home Office,” the Tottenham MP said.

It comes amid a separate row over Home Secretary Priti Patel

“The victims’ nationality and rights were denied because of the colour of their skin. If this is not institutionally racist I have no idea what is.

“It would be an outrage and an insult to the Windrush generation for Wendy Williams’ independent Review to be watered down for political reasons.”

Yvette Cooper, chair of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, added: “The review was supposed to be independent.

“It’s one thing for the Home Office to check facts. But it would be completely unacceptable for the Home Office to try to water down the review’s conclusions and judgments about what went wrong.”

The Home Office did not deny the report had been toned down.

“This is an independent review being led by [inspector of constabulary] Wendy Williams,” a spokesman said.

“She has not yet submitted the final report to the Home Office.

“Once we have received it, we will publish it as soon as practicable. Ministers have not seen any version of the report.”

The ‘Windrush generation’ are British residents who arrived from Commonwealth countries before New Year’s Day 1973.

They are named after the Empire Windrush, the ship which brought some of the first Caribbean migrants to Britain in 1948.

Anyone who arrived in the UK from a Commonwealth country before 1973 has a legal right to stay, unless they left the UK for more than two years.

But they faced being threatened with deportation under new immigration rules despite living and working here for decades.

People were ordered to prove they have the right to be in the UK to rent property, work or access services and benefits.

The government failed to keep detailed records of Windrush arrivals, and landing cards were destroyed in 2010.

The Home Office set up a task force with the aim of sorting out cases. Windrush immigrants are also being granted fee-free citizenship and a compensation scheme.

Read more if you’re affected here or call a government hotline on 0300 123 2241 (option 1).

It comes 21 years after the Macpherson report into Stephen Lawrence’s murder branded the Metropolitan Police institutionally racist – one of the most seismic findings by a public inquiry in recent history.

The news emerged as the Home Office is gripped by infighting and claims of bullying against its top minister Priti Patel.

The Mirror has been told the “ruthless” Home Secretary left officials “trembling” with her demanding behaviour after she was accused of trying to oust her most senior civil servant, Sir Philip Rutnam.

A Government source told the Mirror: “If she took against an official, she would let it be known and she would ask for people to be removed from jobs.

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“She’s very robust, very demanding and wants impossible stuff done instantly, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I have seen people trembling in meetings with her.”

But an ally of Ms Patel said they “did not recognise” these claims.

A source said they “strongly refute” accusations of bullying or belittling and had never seen any evidence of this, instead describing her as “demanding but kind”, adding: “But it is a demanding job, that’s the nature of the job.”

The Home Office and Ms Patel declined to comment on the claims, including that Ms Patel had demanded Sir Philip’s removal.

A source close to Ms Patel said: “This is malicious gossip and we will not be commenting further.”





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