- Sajid Javid has used his first appearance in the Commons has home secretary to promise to “do right by the Windrush generation”. He told MPs:
He also stressed how his immigrant background meant that he felt particularly strongly about the need to sort out this problem.
Like the Caribbean Windrush generation, my parents came to this country from the Commonwealth in the 1960s. They too came to help rebuild this country and offer all that they had. So when I heard that people who were long-standing pillars of their community were being impacted for simply not having the right documents to prove their legal status in the UK, I thought that it could be my mum, my brother, my uncle or even me.
That’s why I am so personally committed to and invested in resolving the difficulties faced by the people of the Windrush generation who have built their lives here and contributed so much.
Javid received a warm reception from Conservative MPs. But, although he repeatedly stressed his desire to ensure Windrush migrants get treated fairly, he said nothing to suggest that he plans to change immigration policy in any substantial way from what happened under his predecessor. Labour MPs said he should be judged by his actions, not his words.
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