'I'd be surprised if Commonwealth trusted us now'
The Pledge panellist June Sarpong says government treatment of Windrush residents will diminish our links with the Commonwealth.
Thursday 19 April 2018 13:19, UK
This week Britain is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
Events are taking place in London and Windsor, featuring 54 heads of state and thousands of young Commonwealth future leaders.
Many of the events have been hosted by Theresa May and by leading Royals such as the Queen, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
So what a great irony that in the middle of what was supposed to be a celebration of our renewed, more equal relationship with Commonwealth countries, news hits that the children of the Windrush generation are now being denied settled status.
These are elderly people from the Caribbean whose parents were invited here as Commonwealth citizens with the right to live and work here over half a century ago.
The scandal is an utter disgrace and does not send a message of confidence to Commonwealth countries about the trustworthiness of British leaders and the promises they make.
There have, of course, been calls for an amnesty for those affected and the Government has pledged to be sympathetic, but these people are not here illegally so there is no need for an amnesty.
There should be no need for costly legal fees or onerous requests to produce 30 to 40-year-old documents that most of us would struggle to locate.
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The Government simply needs to honour the original agreement, apologise and offer assistance to anyone who has been affected by being denied healthcare, the right to work or wrongly deported.
Failure to do so will diminish our links with the Commonwealth and any hopes of the trade deals that Brexiteers waxed so lyrically about during the referendum.
So, I'm saying it's time to show a bit of respect to our elders and stop playing games with the Commonwealth and British citizens.
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