The Windrush scandal makes me fear for the rights of EU citizens after Brexit

The government is currently registering more than three million EU citizens living in the UK, which is by far the biggest change in immigration status for a generation. Unsurprisingly, this is causing a great deal of anxiety

The disgraceful way the Windrush generation and their families have been treated by the government is a national scandal. The deportation of people who had lived in this country for decades and had clear rights to live here will go down as one of the most shameful episodes in modern British history.

Families who have been here and helped shape their local communities over generations have been left feeling unwelcome. Quite rightly, there has been outrage from decent people at the government’s actions – but the mistreatment continues.

After dragging its heels for months, the government’s recently announced compensation scheme, that was much awaited, doesn’t go nearly far enough. It fails to recognise the true damage to people’s lives and it requires documentation that many of those affected will struggle to provide.

This continuing and unacceptable treatment is yet another example of how this government is implementing an immigration system that is simply not fit for purpose. A series of openly hostile policies have been introduced in recent years that are impacting communities right across the country – from the discriminatory Right to Rent scheme and the prohibitive cost of applying for visas and citizenship, to children being denied free school meals because of their parents’ immigration status.

As the Home Office continues its “lessons learned” review into Windrush, I urge ministers to consider the wider impact of their actions and also to ensure another Windrush scandal is prevented.

The government is currently facing the unprecedented task of registering more than three million EU citizens living in the UK, which is by far the biggest change in immigration status for a generation. Unsurprisingly, this is causing a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty for all those EU citizens who have made the UK their home.

And we’re already seeing warning signs that the government has not learnt its lesson. There are now new fears that the voice of EU citizens could be shut out of the upcoming European elections. The government failed to send the voter registration form to all EU citizens in the necessary four-month timeframe – cutting short their time to register for their basic right to have their say.

We have more than one million EU citizens in London. These are hardworking Londoners – nurses, teachers, construction workers and business owners, who are paying their taxes and playing a major role in our civic, cultural and economic life. They are a part of the very fabric of London and their rights must be protected.

If just 5 per cent of all eligible EU applicants struggle to apply or are rejected for their settled status, we could see 175,000 additional people living in the UK without status. This would leave them effectively undocumented and subject to the government’s “hostile environment” – unable to work, to rent a home or open a bank account. They could also face huge financial barriers to accessing university and secondary healthcare. This is all the more worrying because more than a third of applicants will be children under the age of 18.

Shockingly, we know that there are already thousands of undocumented children and young people living in London. There are young people who were born in the UK or, like the Windrush generation, brought here as young children from different parts of the world, but find themselves blocked from their rights because of the costs of citizenship.

These children and young people consider the UK their home. They’ve lived here most of their lives, they’ve been through school, and are going on to work and pay taxes, yet they’re locked out of becoming a British citizen or permanent resident, not by the strict criteria but by the huge cost the Home Office is charging them. We need to help these young people and their families who are being forced into poverty by the hostile environment this government created. And now, in these times of uncertainty, we must also make sure every EU citizen who calls the UK their home is supported.

At City Hall, we are doing all we can to help Londoners. We have been providing crucial advice and guidance to help EU Londoners sign up for settled status, we have established the online EU Londoners Hub, and we have successfully lobbied for the settled status fee to be dropped. I will also continue to push for a fairer approach to immigration – one that encourages, rather than undermines, social integration. But, vitally, we need the government to change its hostile approach and support everyone who lives and works in our country – a fundamental responsibility of any civilised society.

The government has already failed the Windrush generation, it’s pricing out young people from claiming their citizenship and, worryingly, is on the verge of failing EU citizens who live here too. It’s clear that ministers must change their approach, and fast.

Sadiq Khan is the Mayor of London