PMQs: May fails again to get a grip on the Windrush crisis

Prime Minister’s Questions again centred around the Windrush scandal, as those who arrived in the UK as children before 1973 continue to receive confusing advice from the typically shambolic Home Office.

Theresa May chose to answer almost every one of Corbyn’s questions about the Windrush generation with a response that emphasised how important it is to tackle illegal immigration and ensure that illegal migrants cannot access services in the same way as “people who work hard day in and day out”. She repeated this ad nauseam, and in doing so appeared to imply that the Windrush generation came to the UK illegally. May had to follow it up each time with “They are British, they are part of us”.

As I touched on in last week’s PMQs review, May wants to play divide and rule. She revels in the opportunity to praise a certain type of migrant, a good one not like those other mean, illegal ones. This may have historically played well with the public, but it is cynical. Her dichotomy is too easy, and we know what too easy leads to: disengagement with politics, a cynicism towards politicians including herself, hung parliaments.

Corbyn had a number of strong questions. He raised the fact that May was warned by members on both sides of the House about the devastating impact her “hostile environment” policies might have. He called for Amber Rudd to resign and for May’s “bogus immigration targets” to be scrapped.

The Labour leader hit the nail on the head when he said: “it is not an act of generosity to waive citizenship when they’re British citizens already”. He’s right – in her tone deaf way, the Prime Minister has been describing the government’s extraordinarily slow reaction to the Windrush crisis as if every small step towards a solution is a generous gift to those affected.

Quoting Yvette Cooper and Liam Byrne, May tried to use the words of former Labour ministers against the leader of the opposition. But in what way is this effective, and who does it convince? Core Labour members and Corbyn supporters know the Labour leader – as well as Diane Abbott and John McDonnell – voted against the Immigration Act 2014. More widely, voters are aware that he consistently opposed many of the policies adopted by the Labour Party before he took the helm.

As Amelia Gentleman, the Guardian reporter who broke the Windrush story after working on it for months, tweeted: “Amazing that there have now been three PMQs, three separate apologies from the PM, two statement from the Home Secretary, and yet things still unclear for the many victims”.

One Labour MP yesterday described PMQs to me as “half an hour a week you can guarantee no work will be done”. This session was a prime example of the type of unproductive back-and-forth that much of the public – and indeed parliament – find so dispiriting.