Windrush and the Law
- Title
- Windrush and the Law
- Date
- January 27, 2025
- Description
-
With successive restrictions applied to immigration laws and the creation of “hostile environment” immigration policies, thousands of undocumented people were denied their legal right to British citizenship. Many of those affected were part of the ‘Windrush generation’, Caribbean-born migrants who travelled to the UK between the end of the 2nd World War and the 1970s. Despite their entitlement to live in the UK, many lost their jobs and access to public services and benefits. Some were detained or deported.
These injustices became known as the Windrush Scandal, which was first publicly reported in 2017. In 2018 the UK government acknowledged the Scandal and committed to righting the wrongs and compensate those harmed by it. Lawyers and law firms have since worked on behalf of those affected by the scandal to support their claims to their legal rights.
This panel discussion will examine the history of the Windrush Scandal in a Caribbean and transnational context. They will explore changing immigration and nationality legislation and how lawyers have worked on behalf of the ‘Windrush’ scandal victims to establish their legal claims. As the first of thirty recommendations in the Wendy Williams Windrush Lessons Learned Review(Opens in new window)(Opens in new window) talks about the harm done to members of the African Caribbean community, panellists will reflect on what can be done to repair the damage. A ‘Windrush Act’ briefing document, produced by WD Legal, will be shared with registrants for their review.
Panellists
● Anthony Brown, Co-founder of Windrush Defenders Legal C.I.C.
● Grace Brown, Joint Head of Garden Court Chambers
● Devyani Prabhat, Professor in Law at University of Bristol Law School
● Audrey Macklin, Professor and Rebecca Cook Chair in Human Rights Law, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto (Discussant)
Chair: Marilyn Clarke, Head Librarian, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies