UNDER-FIRE Amber Rudd is to make an oral statement to MPs this afternoon with speculation growing that she will announce a multi-million pound compensation package for those members of the Windrush Generation affected by the citizenship scandal.
The Home Secretary’s statement follows Theresa May's announcement on Friday that compensation would be paid to those whose migration status had been challenged.
Last week, Downing Street said details of the compensation scheme would be unveiled by the Home Office shortly.
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The Conservative Government has come under sustained criticism from opposition parties since the scandal of how members of the Windrush Generation were treated broke earlier this month.
Over the weekend, both the Labour and SNP leaderships called for Ms Rudd to go. She will be grilled on the Windrush scandal by the Commons Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Labour’s Dawn Butler, the Shadow Equalities Secretary, has accused the Prime Minister of employing a racist policy.
Asked on Sky's Sunday with Niall Paterson whether or not Mrs May could be personally accused of racism, she replied: "Yes.
“She is the leader that's presiding over legislation that's discriminating against a whole group of people who came from the Commonwealth, who suffered racism when they came over, the 'no blacks, no Irish, no dogs'.
And now they're having to relive that trauma all over again because of Theresa May,” declared the London MP.
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The assertion of institutional racism was forcefully denied by No 10; the PM’s spokesman declared: “It’s not true.”
Meanwhile, Conservative whip Mike Freer issued a clarification after he suggested the row over the Windrush Generation had "nothing to do" with immigration reforms under Mrs May when she was at the Home Office.
In an email to a constituent, he argued the issues were "wholly separate and unconnected" and accused Labour of "opportunism and hypocrisy" over the controversy.
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But in a statement today, Mr Freer, also a London MP, said: "As the Prime Minister and Home Secretary have said, the situation that some members of the Windrush Generation have found themselves in is unacceptable and that's why it's right that the Government has apologised and is offering help to those affected.”
He went on: "The point I was making in constituency correspondence was that some have deliberately sought to conflate this with measures
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