The Windrush Compensation Scheme, external was established in April 2019, and about 15,000 people were thought to be eligible.
But the scheme has been consistently criticised for processing delays, low offers, and unfair rejections reversed on appeal.
In 2021, the Home Affairs Committee of MPs found the scheme had itself become a further trauma for those eligible. It said many of those affected were “still too fearful of the Home Office to apply”.
In April 2023, Human Rights Watch said the scheme was “failing” victims, and repeated calls for it to be removed from the Home Office’s control.
In response, the Home Office said it was “committed to righting the wrongs of Windrush”.
The government insisted it would ensure “similar injustices can never be repeated and [was] creating a Home Office worthy of every community it serves”.
According to the latest Home Office update, external, as at February 2024, the scheme had paid more than £83.8m across 2,307 claims.
