Keir Starmer is pledging a “fundamental reset to respect and dignity” for the Windrush generation amid plans to prevent such as scandal from being repeated.
Labour’s plans include appointing a Windrush Commissioner, opening up access to the Compensation Scheme and re-establishing the Windrush Unit in the Home Office as part of an effort to improve the relationship between government and the Windrush generation.
Starmer is set to accuse the Tories of having presided over “a failing compensation scheme, the disbanding of the major change programme and a complete unwillingness to learn the lessons of the Windrush scandal.”
He said: “Justice has taken far too long for the Windrush community. A government that I lead won’t let this happen again. Where the Tories have dragged their feet, I am determined to get money out the door to compensate those who were failed by the state.”
The party cited data saying that the Compensation Scheme has paid out to just 2,459 claims out of an estimated 15,000 people originally considered eligible – and that 53 victims of the Windrush scandal have died while awaiting compensation.
Starmer added: “The Windrush generation embodies the best of Britain: determination, spirit, public service, and graft. But instead of being thanked, they’ve been badly mistreated.
“A Labour government will offer a fundamental reset moment for the Windrush generation, with respect and dignity at its very core.”
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