Board backs calls for probe into Windrush deportations

Britain’s mainstream Jewish representative body has backed calls for an inquiry into wrongful deportations of members of the Windrush generation.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews gave support after it emerged that sixty-three cases are being investigated in detail by the Home Office.

The probe is part of the government’s efforts to check whether anyone was wrongly removed or deported from the UK as a result of the scandal, following a campaign by Labour MP David Lammy.

Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush and President-Elect Marie van der Zyl said: “The news that 63 members of the Windrush generation could have been wrongfully deported from our country is horrifying.

“As we said in April, the Windrush generation have contributed a great deal to Britain, and they are undoubtedly part of the fabric of our nation. Today, we support David Lammy’s call for a public inquiry to get to the bottom of how these British citizens were deported.”

Campaigning MP David Lammy tweeted: “The Home Secretary tells Home Affairs Select Committee as many as 63 Windrush generation may have been wrongly deported. This is the worst human rights and home affairs crisis in my time in politics.”