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David Lammy attacks 'abominable' treatment of Windrush generation by state
22 May 2021, 18:03
David Lammy's powerful criticism of Windrush treatment
This is David Lammy's criticism of the disgraceful treatment of the Windrush generation by the Government.
"My parents were part of that generation who came to Britain following the Second World War," David Lammy began.
He was speaking amid revelations that at least 21 Windrush victims have died while waiting for compensation for the abhorrent treatment they experienced.
He pointed out that the Windrush generation "helped to rebuild this country" and their treatment today is nothing short of disgraceful.
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As the compensation scheme remains slow and difficult to navigate, David insisted that it is "devastating today that yet again we're discussing how they've been treated."
"21 people have died waiting for compensation and 633 people have received payments out of an original estimate of 15,000 people when the scheme was launched."
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"Why are we treating these people in this abominable way?" He asked.
David then played his speech in the House of Commons attacking the Government for their lack of urgency on the matter. "'How quickly will this team act' is what I asked, not quickly enough, it turns out."
He added that even when compensated, "most of those payouts have been miserly" and the Government must act.