'Windrush scandal could be POST-BREXIT immigration policy' – Newsnight guest WARNS
POST-BREXIT immigration policy could be foreshadowed by the UK Government’s response to dealing with the Windrush scandal, the foreign minister of St Kitts and Nevis warned in an illuminating episode of BBC Newsnight.
Newsnight guest: Windrush scandal could impact immigration policy
Thousands of Windrush migrants who arrived in the UK after World War II are being threatened with deportation amid rule changes.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation for St. Kitts and Nevis, Mark Brantley, said this could set a precedent for how immigrants are treated post-Brexit.
Newsnight Presenter Evan Davis said: “What do you think of the implication of the immigration debate in Britain now?
“I mean, we’re meant to be presenting ourselves as a post-Brexit, global nation.”
The foreign minister said: “Immigration has become a very topical issue, not just here but in the United States, Europe and even the Caribbean.
“Countries clearly have the right to determine who they let in and who they don’t let in, this particular generation of people are the exception because they were British nationals at the time of arrival.
“But I think the way that the British Government deal with the Windrush generation might have implications post-Brexit.
“In terms of how Europeans live in England are to be treated and vice-versa.”
The BBC asked the UK Government to appear on the programme to discuss the issue, but said no one was available.
Mr Brantley’s thoughts were echoed by European Parliament Brexit chief Guy Verhofstadt.
He said the row surrounding whether Windrush citizens had the right to live in the UK had caused fears for EU citizens in Britain about their rights post-Brexit, and how a new EU immigration system would work.
Mr Verhofstadt commented on the crisis, saying: “This could be worrying for millions of EU citizens in the UK who may fear that they could face similar treatment after Brexit.
“The Home Office has agreed to come to the European Parliament to explain their proposed registration system for EU nationals and I expect MEPs will rightly want safeguards."
He noted EU nationals living in Britain would fear being deported in a similar fashion and have concerns surrounding the potential registration process suggested by the British Government – which has led to worrying errors in the past.
Notably, up to 100 EU citizens were wrongly sent deportation letters last year, which Mrs May described as an “unfortunate error”.
Anti-Brexit Labour MP Daniel Zeichner reiterated Mr Verhofstadt’s fears, saying: “EU nationals all over the country will have already drawn the comparisons for themselves.
“The Home Office cannot make our current immigration system work, so there is no prospect of creating a massively more complicated system for many, many more people, and to have it in place and working anytime soon.
“The treatment of the Windrush generation by Theresa May’s Government has been despicable.
“The only good that can come is if they now acknowledge the harm they have done, fix it, and back off doing the same to yet more people.”