
Last Friday, I delivered the keynote speech at the Windrush National Organisation International Conference.
It has been 76 years since HMT Empire Windrush arrived in Tilbury Docks, bringing those who answered the call to help re-build our country after the Second World War.
The Windrush scandal saw those who had, and have, the right to live in this country victimised because they were unable to prove that right through no fault of their own.
The last government’s response was too slow, too weak, and did not deliver justice to those who were betrayed and failed.
That’s why as Minister for Migration and Citizenship in the new Labour government, I am proud to be supporting the Home Secretary to deliver a fundamental reset moment for the Windrush generation, with respect and dignity at its core.
We are establishing a Windrush Commissioner; an independent advocate for all those affected who will be a voice for victims at the heart of Government.
We have re-established a Windrush Unit in the Home Office, dedicated to driving forward the action needed to ensure that what happened to the Windrush generation can never happen again to any part of our society.
We will not rest until all those who are affected have received the compensation that they deserve, and we are committed to working closely and collaboratively with victims and communities who have been impacted.
I am also proud to have been appointed the Minister for Race Equality in our Equalities team, alongside my responsibilities as the Minister for Migration and Citizenship.
Last week I spoke from the frontbench in Parliament in the first ever debate on Black History Month held in Government time. I was pleased to pay tribute Black British changemakers, past and present, and to lay out Labour’s plan to build on our proud record on equality by tackling structural racial inequalities.
Our Bill on equality in race and disability will mandate ethnic pay gap reporting for large employers, helping to tackle inequalities and discrimination in the workplace. Our Employment Rights Bill, which we introduced within our first 100 days, will end exploitative practices and enhance employment rights.
But we know that there is much more to do. We must take urgent steps to close the maternal mortality gap. We must address the fact that black people are up to five times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than their white peers and are three and a half times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act. We must also take urgent action to address inequalities in housing, employment and education, which all too often disproportionately affect black and minority ethnic communities.
We have put this work at the core of our ambitious mission-based programme to change this country, so that whoever you are, wherever you grew up and wherever you come from, if Britain is your home, Britain is a country that will value your contribution.