Key facts
- Mel B is "heartbroken" by the Windrush scandal victims' fight for justice.
- Windrush Commissioner Rev Clive Foster is urging ministers to commit to funding legal support by October 30.
- The Home Office has refused compensation in over half of claims made by victims.
- Successful compensation claims rose from an average of £11,400 to £83,200 after legal help.
- The UK government has not provided funded independent legal support for Windrush claimants.
- Mel B, Alison Hammond, and David Lammy are supporting calls for funded legal support.
Singer Mel B has expressed her heartbreak over the ongoing struggle for justice faced by victims of the Windrush scandal, aligning with calls for the UK government to provide dedicated funding for legal assistance. Windrush Commissioner Rev Clive Foster is pressing ministers to commit to this funding by the end of October, emphasizing the need for parity with support offered in other major compensation schemes.
The Guardian previously reported that the Home Office had denied compensation in over half of the claims submitted by victims of the scandal, which wrongly impacted mainly Black Britons who had legally settled in the UK. However, subsequent legal advice has led to a reassessment of many cases, significantly increasing the average payout from £11,400 to £83,200, with one individual securing £295,000 after initially being offered nothing.
Despite these outcomes, the government has not provided comprehensive, funded independent legal support for Windrush claimants. Mel B, alongside other public figures like Alison Hammond and David Lammy, is supporting Commissioner Foster's plea to rectify this disparity. Foster argues that the current system, where the Home Office adjudicates claims for harm caused by its own policies, is inherently flawed. He has formally recommended that the Home Office fund independent legal advice for claimants at crucial stages of the process.
Concerns have also been raised by the UN committee on the elimination of racial discrimination, parliamentary committees, and human rights organizations, with numerous petitions supporting the call for funded legal aid. While the government has established a £1.5 million advocacy support fund, it falls short of providing formal legal representation. A Home Office spokesperson stated that this fund has "significantly enhanced" support and that reforms to the compensation scheme are in place, with over £132 million paid out across 4,177 claims.