Chagos islanders’ exile is ongoing breach of human rights, court told – The Guardian

‘Denying exiled Chagos islanders the right to return to their homes on the Indian Ocean archipelago is a continuing breach of their human rights and not just a historical injustice, the court of appeal has been told.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 12th May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush backlog reaches 3,720 cases, Home Office reveals – The Guardian

‘Lawyers and campaigners have expressed concern about a large backlog of unresolved Windrush cases, revealed in fresh Home Office figures, two years after Amber Rudd resigned as home secretary amid the emerging scandal.’

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The Guardian, 30th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Carol Harlow: Windrush: Lessons learned or perhaps not? – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘On 19 March, screened by the draft Corona: Defence of the Realm Bill, the long awaited Windrush: Lessons Learned Report (hereafter Lessons Learned) was published. For those who have missed out on the considerable publicity generated by the Windrush Generation scandal, a short account is in order. The Windrush Generation broadly comprises Commonwealth citizens who have indefinite leave to remain in the UK or “settled status” on the basis of having settled in the UK before 1973 when the Commonwealth Immigration Act 1971 came into force, and not since 1988 having left the UK for more than two years. Many of these elderly British citizens were unable to prove their right to live here to the satisfaction of the Home Office (perhaps because they entered the country on a parent’s passport or had lost their papers in the ensuing forty-odd years since their arrival). These unfortunate “surprised Brits” were denied healthcare, welfare benefits, pensions, lost their settled housing and long-term jobs, were taken into detention and even deported. They had become victims of the so-called “hostile environment” policy, a set of measures introduced in 2012 by Theresa May when Home Secretary with a view to making life as difficult as possible in the UK for people with no legal status to encourage them to leave. The measures were defended at the time by Theresa May, then Home Secretary, and incorporated into the Immigration Act 2014.’

Full Story

UK Constitutional Law Association, 6th April 2020

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

‘Lambs to the slaughter’: 50 lives ruined by the Windrush scandal – The Guardian

‘As the report on the Home Office scandal is finally published, we revisit the victims’ stories.’

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The Guardian, 19th March 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush review to call for reform of ‘reckless’ Home Office – The Guardian

‘Wholesale reform of a “reckless” and “defensive” Home Office is expected to be recommended in a hard-hitting review into the causes of the Windrush scandal when it is released by the home secretary on Thursday.’

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The Guardian, 19th March 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush inquiry report submitted to home secretary – The Guardian

‘An investigation into the causes of the Windrush scandal has been completed and presented to the UK home secretary, who must now decide when and whether to make the findings public.’

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The Guardian, 18th March 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Why justice remains elusive for Windrush generation – The Guardian

Posted February 11th, 2020 in citizenship, colonies, compensation, immigration, news by sally

‘Victims talk about their ordeal and a complex compensation scheme that is yet to deliver.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 9th February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Jamaican-born deportees mount last-minute challenges against Home Office – The Guardian

Posted February 10th, 2020 in colonies, deportation, families, government departments, immigration, murder, news by sally

‘Dozens of Jamaicans in the UK are mounting last-minute legal challenges to try to halt their deportation on a Home Office charter flight scheduled for Tuesday.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 10th February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush: Call to review deportation of foreign-born offenders – BBC News

Posted February 7th, 2020 in colonies, deportation, government departments, immigration, news by tracey

‘The government should consider ending the deportation of foreign-born offenders who came to the UK as children, according to a draft report into the Windrush scandal.’

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BBC News, 7th February 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Windrush man who served in British army for nine years told there is no record of him – The Independent

Posted January 23rd, 2020 in armed forces, citizenship, colonies, compensation, loans, news by tracey

‘A Windrush man who was told the UK government had no record of him despite having spent nearly a decade serving in the British army says he is struggling to obtain compensation two years on.’

Full Story

The Independent, 23rd january 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

10 cases that defined 2019 – UK Human Rights Blog

‘And so, we reach the end of another year. And what a year it has been. As well perhaps the most tumultuous period in British politics for decades, this year saw the first ever image taken of a black hole, a victory for the England men’s cricket team at the World Cup, the discovery of a new species of prehistoric small-bodied human in the Philippines and signs that humpback whale numbers in the South Atlantic have bounced back thanks to intensive conservation efforts. And the law? Well, rather a lot has happened really. As the festive season draws near, what better way is there to celebrate than to rewind the clock and relive the 10 cases which have defined 2019?’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 19th December 2019

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Three generations of Windrush family struggling to prove they are British – The Guardian

‘Three generations of one Windrush-descended family are struggling to prove that they are British in a protracted fight for documentation which has left a London-born woman facing homelessness with her two-year-old son.’

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The Guardian, 18th December 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK defies UN deadline to return Chagos Islands – The Guardian

‘Refusal to return archipelago to Mauritius “lawless” and “reflects colonial mindset” says barrister.’

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The Guardian, 22nd November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush victim dies without compensation or apology – The Guardian

‘Another prominent Windrush victim has died without receiving compensation or a personal apology from the government. Hubert Howard died on Tuesday, just three weeks after finally being granted British citizenship, 59 years after he arrived in London aged three.’

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The Guardian, 12th November 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hostile environment ruled not a factor in death of Windrush man – The Independent

Posted October 8th, 2019 in benefits, citizenship, colonies, immigration, news by tracey

‘A coroner has ruled that the Home Office’s “hostile environment” did not contribute to the death of a Windrush citizen who lost his life after spending months struggling to prove his right to live in the UK.’

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The Independent, 7th october 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush victims still waiting for payments from Home Office – The Guardian

‘The government has still made no compensation payments to Windrush victims and has failed to introduce legislation that would allow damages to be paid, 15 months after Theresa May apologised for the scandal and promised a financial settlement.’

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The Guardian, 4th July 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Secretary apologises to members of Windrush generation – Home Office

‘The Home Secretary has written 46 letters to people who were sanctioned under compliant environment policies and 7 to people with criminal convictions who were held under immigration detention powers at the end of their prison sentence.’

Full press release

Home Office, 10th June 2019

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

UK government ‘risks another Windrush’ over EU citizens, MPs say – BBC News

‘The government runs the risk of another Windrush scandal if “serious concerns” about its EU settlement scheme are not addressed, MPs have said.’

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BBC News, 30th May 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UN backs demand for Britain to relinquish Chagos islands – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 23rd, 2019 in armed forces, Chagos Islands, colonies, news, United Nations by tracey

‘Britain suffered an embarrassing diplomatic defeat on Wednesday when the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to hand the disputed Chagos islands back to Mauritius.’

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Daily Telegraph, 22nd May 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Home Office faces investigation over Windrush scandal from equalities watchdog – The Independent

‘The Home Office has been referred to the equalities watchdog over the Windrush scandal and the wider “hostile environment”. More than 80 MPs from six political parties have called on the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to investigate whether the department unlawfully discriminated against the Windrush generation and continues to discriminate against ethnic minority Britons as a “direct result” of its immigration policies.’

Full Story

The Independent, 1st May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk