THE treatment of the Windrush generation by the UK government is nothing short of a scandal. Theresa May’s apology to Caribbean leaders for the deportation threats to people who have been living and working in this country for decades is as hollow as they come.

The situation is a direct result of an immigration bill designed to create a “hostile environment” for illegal migrants introduced by Mrs May herself when she was home secretary.

At the time, immigration lawyers said the identity checks necessary to implement the policy would be unworkable and liable to discriminate against many people with legitimate cases to be in the UK.

As Mrs May was saying sorry for the “anxiety” inflicted by a system she implemented, ministers were breezily claiming to have “no information” about any actual deportations, despite claims to the contrary.

Home Office staff are now said to be going through their files to establish whether anything had gone “appallingly wrong in that way”, according to Cabinet Office minister David Lidington. But if the whole idea of the policy change was to identify those who could not prove they had the right to be here and restrict their access to healthcare, housing, and banking, surely things have actually gone “appallingly right”? No matter if the son of a Windrush 74-year-old who came to Britain in 1959 is affected, or a 20-something health tourist.

The Prime Minister’s apology – and the acute stress caused to so many – could have been avoided if she had listened to the many warnings five years ago.