Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Theresa May offers Windrush apology

by LAUREN CODLING

PRIME MINISTER Theresa May has apologised to leaders of the Caribbean on Tuesday (17) after it emerged her government had threatened to deport people who had immigrated to the UK almost 70 years ago.


After the outpouring of criticism concerning the treatment of the so-called Windrush

generation, May told representatives of the 12 Caribbean members of the Commonwealth that she took the treatment of the migrants “very seriously”.

“I want to apologise to you today because we are genuinely sorry for any anxiety that

has been caused,” the prime minister said. “I want to dispel any impression that my government is, in some sense, clamping down on Commonwealth citizens, particularly

those from the Caribbean.”

The generation were brought to the UK from the West Indies on the ship Empire Windrush between 1948 and the early 1970s.

They and their parents were invited to help rebuild Britain after the Second World War.

Under the 1971 Immigration Act, the Commonwealth citizens were given indefinite leave to remain in the country.

But the Home Office did not keep a record of those granted leave to remain or issue any paperwork confirming it, meaning it is difficult for the individuals to now prove they are in

Britain legally.

Almost half a million people left their homes in the West Indies to live in Britain between 1948 and 1970, according to Britain’s National Archives.

But those who failed to get their papers in order are now being treated as illegal, which

limits their access to work and healthcare and puts them at risk of deportation if they

cannot prove they are residents in the UK.

Recent reports in the British media have included cases such as a man who was denied

treatment for cancer and a special needs teaching assistant who lost his job after being

accused of being illegal immigrants despite living in the UK for more than 40 years.

May’s remarks came after her successor at the Home Office, Amber Rudd, apologised

in the Commons on Monday (16).

“Frankly, some of the way they have been treated has been wrong, has been appalling,

and I am sorry,” Rudd told parliament.

She also announced that the Home Office had set up a new unit to deal with people’s

concerns about their immigration status. “I hope it will go a long way to assist the Commonwealth citizens who should have their rights confirmed without charge,” she said.

An official spokesman for May said: “Work has been going on for some time now in

creating a system to handle those claims. We’re confident that we will be able to do it

in a smooth and efficient way.”

At an emergency meeting in the Commons on Monday, MPs questioned how the situation would be resolved. Tottenham MP David Lammy referred to the controversy as a day of “national shame”.

“When my parents and their generation arrived in this country under the Nationality Act of 1948, they arrived here as British citizens,” he said. “…This is a day of national shame and it has come about because of a hostile environment policy that was begun under her prime minister.”

Lammy has asked any individual who has had trouble with their status to contact him.

One 35-year-old man, who was due to be deported on Wednesday (18), was stopped after the Labour MP intervened.

The politician confirmed that the mother of Mozi Haynes got in touch, saying he was due to be removed from the country after two failed applications to stay.

Britain has written to each of the Caribbean governments setting out how it intends to rectify the situation, notably by helping anyone affected to find the necessary paperwork

to regularise their immigration status.

It has promised to waive the usual fee for residency cards, and “reimburse reasonable

legal costs” incurred so far.

But there was further embarrassment for May on Tuesday when the Home Office – which she led for six years before moving to Downing Street – admitted it had destroyed some of the Windrush generation’s registration slips, which document when they arrived in Britain.

Antigua and Barbuda prime minister Gaston Browne said he was pleased the government

had made moves to address the issue.

“Many of these individuals do not have any connection with the country of their birth, would have lived in the UK their entire lives and worked very hard towards the advancement of the UK,” Browne said.

The issue came to light following a clampdown on illegal immigration spearheaded by May during her tenure as interior minister.

It required people to have documentation to work, rent a property or access benefits

including healthcare.

“Due to the rollout of very intrusive and harsh immigration checks across everyday life, people are now finding themselves in situations where they are quite heavily penalised for not having that documentation," said Satbir Singh, chief executive of the Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants.

Singh said those affected could suffer from anxiety and depression as they can be left destitute after losing work after being labelled undocumented migrants.

(With agencies)

More For You

Imran Khan

Imran Khan has been held in Adiala Jail since August 2023 in several cases. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Imran Khan may secure bail on 11 June, says party leader

FORMER prime minister Imran Khan, 72, is expected to seek bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case when the Islamabad High Court (IHC) hears petitions on 11 June to suspend the sentences handed to him and his wife Bushra Bibi.

Khan has been held in Adiala Jail since August 2023 in several cases. PTI chief Gohar Ali Khan told ARY News that “June 11 is going to be an important day for both Khan and his wife,” but he gave no further reason. The IHC had earlier adjourned the matter after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) asked for more time to prepare its arguments.

Keep ReadingShow less
India’s Active Covid-19 Cases Exceed 6,000 as Infections Spike

Some states continue to report relatively low numbers

iStock

India’s active Covid-19 cases cross 6,000 mark as fresh infections rise

India’s total number of active COVID-19 cases has risen above 6,000, with health authorities reporting 358 new infections in the past 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). While there were no Covid related deaths during this period, the increase in cases is prompting state-level monitoring and precautionary measures.

Current case load and recoveries

As of 8:00 a.m. on June 9, 2025, India has 6,491 active Covid-19 cases. The central health ministry confirmed that 358 fresh cases were detected in the last 24 hours, with no fatalities reported in the same timeframe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Zia-Yusuf-Getty

Yusuf, who resigned as Reform chairman last week before returning two days later, said he wanted to be 'crystal clear' on the party’s stance. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Zia Yusuf says Reform will deport all illegal immigrants

ZIA YUSUF has said that Reform UK would deport every illegal immigrant in Britain if the party came to power.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Yusuf stated, “We will deport everybody who is here in this country illegally, which is roughly about 1.2 million people.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al Yazidi

The teenager was walking along Staniforth Road in the Darnall area on Wednesday when a grey Audi reportedly hit an electric bike rider before striking Abdullah. (Photo credit: South Yorkshire Police)

South Yorkshire Police

Two charged with murder after boy, 16, dies in Sheffield crash

TWO men have been charged with murder and three counts of attempted murder after the death of a 16-year-old boy in an alleged hit-and-run in Sheffield.

Zulkernain Ahmed, 20, and Amaan Ahmed, 26, both from Locke Drive, have been charged over the death of Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al Yazidi, according to South Yorkshire Police.

Keep ReadingShow less
Greta Thunberg Condemns Israel’s Blockade of Gaza Aid Ship

Israel had vowed in advance to prevent the ship from reaching Gaza

Getty Images

Greta Thunberg intercepted by Israel on her way to Gaza, sent back

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was among a group of pro-Palestinian campaigners on board a Gaza-bound aid vessel intercepted by Israeli forces and diverted to its shores, the country’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on 9 June.

The ship, Madleen, was organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a group challenging Israel’s blockade of Gaza. It had departed Sicily on 1 June, carrying a dozen activists and a symbolic amount of humanitarian supplies.

Keep ReadingShow less