Victims of the Windrush scandal will receive up to 75% of their compensation in advance under an overhaul of the scheme aimed at delivering faster justice, the Home Office has announced.
For the first time, claimants will also be compensated for lost contributions to work or personal pensions, a long-standing demand from campaigners. The Home Office said priority would be given to applications from those aged 75 and over and those with serious health conditions, ensuring elderly and vulnerable people are compensated more quickly. Immigration fees paid due to an inability to prove lawful status will also be reimbursed.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said it was “unacceptable that many victims were still waiting for compensation” years after the scandal broke. “That changes today. We will deliver justice so that those suffering financial hardship through no fault of their own are paid for their lost pension savings,” she said. “The Home Office Windrush scandal was a shameful stain on our history. I will leave no stone left unturned until everyone affected receives the justice they deserve.”
Bishop Desmond Jaddoo, chair of the Windrush National Organisation, welcomed the changes, noting that once the Home Office makes a compensation offer, it is never reduced. “It makes sense to give the claimant the option to be paid 75% of that pending an appeal; it helps the financial burden people face,” he said. However, he added that “there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Anthony Brown, co-founder of the Windrush Defenders legal support group, said that while improvements were welcome, the main issue remained that people lacked the legal assistance to make viable claims. “People are getting nil awards, and then when they do get legal assistance, they’re getting six-figure sums,” he said. “If you’re not aiming for justice, then tinkering around the edges is just going to frustrate people.”
The independent Windrush commissioner, Rev Clive Foster, said the changes “reflect what I’ve heard from survivors and will make a real difference, especially for those who don’t have time on their side.” He welcomed progress on employment losses but noted that the failure to address future earnings losses remained “a serious gap”. The changes will be applied retrospectively.
