A Batman star has accused accused the Government of “putting a sticking plaster over a gaping wound” after its latest Windrush scandal cash injection.
Colin McFarlane, who played Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb in the Dark Knight trilogy, voiced his frustration over the “broken” system. The star, a founder of the Justice 4 Windrush group, told The Mirror a new £1.5million fund to help victims of the scandal does not go far enough.
Ministers say the announcement is a “decisive step in our mission to right these wrongs”, with money granted to organisations that support victims. But Mr McFarlane responded: “It’s a sticking plaster over a gaping wound, this is the bottom line.”
He called on the Home Office to tear up the current compensation system, which he warned is failing those it is supposed to serve. He said: “Whichever way you look at it, it’s broken it’s not fit for purpose. And I think they’re quite happy with that.
“I feel like Labour in may respects are worse than the Conservatives because we expected it from the Conservatives. We expected empathy from Labour but they’ve done nothing.”
The actor said calls for changes to the compensation process have been ignored. He said: “If they used that £1.5million to set up a feasibility study into having an independent body that would be a better use of it.
“They said it would take too many years to put it into action. Well it’s been six years, and 80% of the victims have yet to be compensated.”
He called for the so-called “MP filter” – which means complaints to an Ombudsman need to be referred by an MP – to be scrapped. “It’s blocking anybody taking their appeals to the next stage, and a lot of people give up at that point,” Mr McFarlane said.
Lawyer Pauline Campbell, who supports Windrush victims with their claims, said: “It’s like putting money in a pocket with a hole in it because it’s just falling out the other end, not achieving anything.
“Because the problem is that the system itself is flawed. And until they fix the system, the rest of the money’s just going to go to organisations that are just going to pump money into a system that’s not working.”
Hundreds of British citizens were wrongly deported and threatened with deportation as a result of the previous Government’s hostile enivronment policies. Many had their access to medical treatment and ability to work taken away in a harrowing injustice.
Migration and Citizenship Minister Seema Malhotra MP said: “The Home Office Windrush scandal was an appalling injustice that should never have happened. People who had built their lives here and contributed so much to our country were wrongly treated as illegal immigrants in the place they called home
“This £1.5 million fund is a decisive step in our mission to right these wrongs. By providing dedicated advocacy support, we’re breaking down barriers and ensuring victims have a voice through every step of the compensation process.
“We are determined that Windrush communities will finally receive the recognition and justice they deserve.”
Home Office data shows that up until February this year, 9,848 applications had been made, resulting in 3,025 compensation offers. Of these 562 were made since July last year, when Labour came to power.
The Government says the new Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund (WCASF) will provide claimants with dedicated advocates to guide them through the compensation application process.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.