Windrush Conference Hears Promises of Change, But One Question Remains: When Will the Cycle of Victims End?
Windrush victims confront the Home Office over compensation, justice and reform as calls grow to finally end the cycle of harm.
The 5th Windrush International Conference brought victims, campaigners, advocates, community leaders and government representatives together in Birmingham for conversations that were informative, painful and deeply personal. Organised by the Windrush National Organisation, the conference at Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre brought Windrush Home Office teams and people affected by the scandal into the same space. Yet after hearing about compensation, citizenship, trauma support and reform, I left with one question that still demands an answer: when will the system stop creating new victims while trying to deliver justice to those already harmed?
 |
As delegates take their seats, they bring more than questions into the room. Each carries a story, a struggle and a determination to see Windrush justice finally delivered. |
Minister for Migration and Citizenship Jo White, whose attendance at the conference had been confirmed ahead of the event, delivered a powerful acknowledgement of that pain. “No matter how painful it is to face the victims, we must,” she told the conference. She stressed that organisations and public services must work together to ensure the needs of the Windrush community continue to be addressed, declaring that the Windrush story is essential to Britain’s national story. From the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush in June 1948 to the generations who helped build and sustain Britain, the message was clear: people who gave this country so much were later treated appallingly.
White acknowledged that the harm caused by actions taken under previous governments cannot simply be undone, while stressing that future work should not be designed by the Home Office alone. Delegates heard that work continues to better understand the barriers preventing people from applying for compensation and to make information accessible regardless of where victims live. The conference was also told that the compensation application form is being redesigned with fewer questions, clearer wording and more helpful prompts, while the claims process continues to be reviewed.
Figures presented at the conference indicated that more than 10,000 people have been granted citizenship and around £133 million in compensation has been paid to more than 12,000 people. But alongside the signs of progress came serious concerns. Delegates heard that a high proportion of claimants were receiving nil awards, while calls were made for government-funded legal assistance so victims are not left navigating complicated claims without adequate support. The message heard repeatedly throughout the conference was difficult to ignore: justice delayed is justice denied.
Reverend Clive Foster, identified by the Windrush National Organisation as its vice-chair, spoke about “joining the dots”, a particularly fitting message considering one of the fundamental failures exposed by Windrush was the failure to recognise warning signs before people suffered devastating consequences. Speaking with Foster during the conference, his position was clear: until the Home Office becomes proactive rather than reactive, breaking the continuing cycle of victims will remain difficult. Responding after another person has been harmed is not enough. Prevention must become part of how progress on Windrush is ultimately measured.
Bishop Dr Desmond Jaddoo, chair of the Windrush National Organisation, delivered another message that cut directly through the discussion: “Change will come, but we must fight to implement it.” His words captured a wider feeling throughout the conference that acknowledging what went wrong is no longer enough. The organisation he chairs says its work is focused on overcoming barriers affecting the Windrush Generation and their descendants, both in Britain and overseas, and improving engagement around Windrush status and compensation.
The Windrush Commissioner also urged victims and families to become proactive in protecting future generations, encouraging them to ensure the correct documentation is obtained for their children. It offered another dimension to the question of prevention. Communities can be better informed and prepared, but that cannot remove the responsibility of government institutions to create a system that protects people's rights instead of forcing them to fight to prove those rights.
Some of the personal experiences shared during the conference demonstrated why that matters. Delegates heard the account of a woman who said she had been subjected to a virginity test after stating that she was coming to the UK to get married. Another story involved a 16-year-old who needed a passport to attend college. Different lives and different circumstances, but both raised the same troubling question: why should someone with the right to belong have to fight to prove it?
Behind every Windrush story is a person. Behind every decision is an organisation with the power to profoundly affect someone’s life. Sometimes it takes one individual story to expose a much larger systemic failure, and throughout the conference there was a repeated call for humanity and compassion to remain at the centre of what happens next.
There were important signs of progress. Delegates were given information about where and how to seek assistance, compensation and support. Trauma support was discussed, barriers affecting applications were acknowledged and improvements to the compensation process were outlined. Ahead of the conference, organisers said those attending would have access to teams involved in Windrush matters, including status, compensation, engagement and vulnerable persons.
But listening to victim after victim relay their experiences, one thing became painfully clear: they have had enough.
Enough of proving who they are. Enough of reopening old wounds. Enough of fighting for recognition and justice from systems that should never have failed them in the first place. Their individual experiences may differ, but the exhaustion, frustration and determination running through those testimonies were unmistakable.
Thanks to the work of the Windrush National Organisation, victims can at least take some comfort in knowing they are not fighting that battle alone. The organisation cannot erase what happened, nor can it single-handedly guarantee that another victim will never be created. But for people who have spent years trying to be seen, believed and heard, the WNO has become an important voice fighting alongside them.
I attended this conference not only as a journalist, but as a mother and someone personally affected. I heard a great deal about what has already been done. I heard what is being improved and what is expected to happen next. I heard where victims can apply, where assistance can be found and where support exists for people dealing with the trauma caused by their experiences.
But what I was waiting to hear was something far simpler and more powerful: the cycle stops here.
 |
Bishop Dr Desmond Jaddoo speaks to delegates about the real people behind the Windrush scandal, sharing stories of victims the WNO has helped and those still fighting to be heard. |
Because compensation comes after harm. Trauma support comes after trauma. An appeal comes after somebody has already been refused. Faster decisions still come after somebody has entered a system in which their status, identity or right to belong may have been questioned.
That is why “joining the dots” must ultimately mean more than bringing organisations, officials and victims together in one room. It must mean connecting history with prevention, responsibility with action and promises with measurable change. Government must become proactive enough to recognise potential injustice before another life is damaged, while communities must have the information and support needed to secure and protect their rights and those of their children.
The 5th Windrush International Conference was necessary, informative and, at times, deeply emotional. It showed that progress is being made, but it also demonstrated how much remains unresolved. As Desmond Jaddoo put it, “Change will come, but we must fight to implement it.”
Perhaps that is where the real significance of the Windrush National Organisation can be found. The WNO may not be able to stop the cycle alone, but for victims who have spent too long fighting systems bigger than themselves, it is becoming part of the lifeline needed to challenge that cycle and help eradicate the systemic failures that have continued creating victims.
 |
Supporting the Fight for Windrush Justice: The 2026 Windrush International Conference acknowledged organisations from across government, community advocacy, broadcasting, trade unions and public services whose support helped bring victims, campaigners and decision-makers together in Birmingham. |
The true test of Windrush reform cannot simply be how much compensation is eventually paid or how quickly applications are processed. It must be whether another mother, another child, another family or another generation is prevented from becoming a victim in the first place. Until then, one question remains unanswered: when will the Home Office be able to look the Windrush community in the eye and say, with confidence, “the cycle stops here”?