Home Office staff are to be given training so that they “understand and appreciate the history of migration and race” in the UK in response to the Windrush scandal, Priti Patel has announced.
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, the home secretary assured MPs that lessons had been learned from the disaster, during which people with a right to live in the UK were wrongfully detained or deported to the Caribbean.
Patel said her response to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review has been “swift, strong and uncompromising” and announced a number of changes in the way Home Office staff would be hired and trained.
She said: “Mandatory training is being introduced for new and existing members of the Home Office staff to ensure everyone working across the department understands and appreciates the history of migration and race across the country.
“There are simply not enough individuals from Black, Asian or minority ethnic staff working at the top in senior roles and there are far too many times where I am the only non-white face in the room.
“Action must happen now. So right now, I am introducing more diverse shortlists for senior jobs, specialist mentoring and sponsorship programmes to help develop a wider pool of talent and drive cultural change.”
Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the Windrush scandal “must lead to real and lasting change”.
He said: “All the more shocking that 60 people received compensation from the Windrush compensation scheme in its first year of operation. Ministers must get a grip of this scheme.”