Windrush Compensation Scheme
The Windrush Compensation Scheme is a compensation scheme which was established by the Home Office to provide compensation for the victims of the Windrush scandal.[1][2]
Establishment
The compensation scheme was established in April 2019 by ministerial direction, before formal legislation was in place.[3][4]
| Windrush Compensation Scheme (Expenditure) Act 2020 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act to provide for the payment out of money provided by Parliament of expenditure incurred by the Secretary of State or a government department under, or in connection with, the Windrush Compensation Scheme. |
| Citation | 2020 c. 8 |
| Introduced by | Priti Patel (Commons) Baroness Williams of Trafford (Lords) |
| Territorial extent | England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 8 June 2020 |
| Commencement | 8 June 2020 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
| Records of Parliamentary debate relating to the statute from Hansard | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The Windrush Compensation Scheme (Expenditure) Act 2020 (c. 8) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established the financial authority for the scheme.[5][2]
At the time it was established, the scheme the cost was expected to be between £120,000,000 and £310,000,000, based on there being 15,000 claimants.[1]
Functioning
In December 2020, the minimum payment under the scheme was raised from £250 to £1,000 and the maximum payment under the scheme was raised from £10,000 to £100,000.[6]
The scheme does not provide legal assistance to claimants.[7]
In October 2025, the scheme was reconfigured to allow claimants to get 75% of their compensation upfront.[7]
Further developments
In November 2020, the head of policy quit the scheme, criticising it as being racist, and unwilling, uncurious and lacking in genuine concern to the situation of victims.[8]
As of July 2024, the scheme had paid roughly £93,580,000 across 2,634 claims with £400,000 being incorrectly denied.[9] As of May 2025, the scheme had paid £122,000,000 across 3,300.[10]
In 2025, the first Windrush Commissioner was appointed, with a mandate to review the working of the scheme.[11]
The Parliamentary Ombudsman found the way the Home Office ran the scheme to be "confusing and inconsistent".[12]
References
- 1 2 D'Arcy, Mark (20 March 2020). "The week ahead in Parliament". BBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- 1 2 D'Arcy, Mark (7 February 2020). "The week ahead in Parliament". BBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- ↑ "Who were the Windrush generation?". BBC News. 20 June 2025 [2018-04-16]. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- ↑ "Patel personally approved Rwanda plan launch after civil servant concerns". BBC News. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- ↑ "Windrush compensation scheme to get MPs' backing". BBC News. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ Parkinson, Justin (14 December 2020). "All Windrush victims to get at least £10,000". BBC News. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- 1 2 Fatima, Zahra (24 October 2025). "Windrush victims to get 75% compensation upfront in scheme shake-up". BBC News. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ Merrick, Rob (18 September 2020). "Black official quits 'racist' Windrush compensation scheme over its failure to help victims". The Independent. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- ↑ Campbell, Adina (5 September 2024). "Payments for Windrush victims denied compensation". BBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- ↑ Weigold, Matt (14 September 2025). "Windrush miner fights for compensation". BBC News. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ Campbell, Adina (18 June 2025). "First Windrush commissioner announced". BBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- ↑ Adams, Lewis (19 September 2025). "Windrush man to be paid £25,000 by Home Office". BBC News. Retrieved 16 July 2026.