​Britain’s Windrush Commissioner has warned that the Home Office is still failing people affected by the Windrush scandal, saying “the injustice is far from over” as he marked his first 100 days in office.

​

Speaking at the Windrush National Organisation’s annual conference, Rev Clive Foster MBE said that survivors are exhausted by slow decisions, unclear communication and what many describe as a compensation system that deepens rather than heals trauma.

​

He said he had met more than 700 people across the UK — from Wales and Scotland to the Midlands and London — and repeatedly heard stories of service and contribution alongside testimonies of fear, loss and frustration. Many told him they still felt unsafe in the immigration system. Some said they were unsure whether their families overseas would ever secure the status they are entitled to. Almost everyone raised concerns about long delays and the rising number of “nil awards”, which now make up nearly six in ten compensation outcomes.

​

“The scandal is not behind us,” Foster said. “People are still suffering, still waiting and still fighting for rights they should never have been denied.”

​

Since taking up the post in Hackney, Foster has broadened his remit to include the Windrush Status Scheme and intervened in several urgent cases, including helping bring home a man who had lived in Britain for six decades but was stranded abroad. He has met senior Home Office leaders to push for cultural change and addressed more than 3,500 staff in an effort to embed a more compassionate, trauma-informed approach.

​

The government has now announced several measures the Commissioner has been pressing for, including prioritising older claimants, offering advanced payments to people stuck in lengthy delays and ensuring pension losses form part of compensation assessments. Foster welcomed the moves but warned that survivors “cannot afford more years of incremental change.”

​

Setting out his next steps, the Commissioner said he would focus on fixing the weaknesses in the compensation scheme, strengthening support for survivors and making sure that everyone entitled to status — including those overseas — can secure it quickly and safely. He also pledged to push the Home Office to implement safeguards that prevent anything like the Windrush scandal from happening again, including full delivery of the Wendy Williams recommendations and stronger testing of new policies with affected communities.

​

Foster ended with a call for partnership between government, local authorities and grassroots organisations, saying the progress needed “cannot come from Whitehall alone.”

​

“The Windrush story is one of dignity, courage and contribution,” he said. “It must also become a story of justice. I will hold the government to account — and I invite you to hold me to account too.”

​

 

​

​