This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/02/amber-rudd-says-she-hopes-home-office-changes-windrush-blunders
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Amber Rudd calls for Home Office changes after Windrush errors | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Amber Rudd has said she hopes “changes will be made” at the Home Office after a report found senior civil servants failed her at the height of the Windrush scandal, amid confusion over immigration targets that prompted her resignation. | |
| The then home secretary stepped down in April after wrongly telling the home affairs select committee there were no targets for removing illegal immigrants. | |
| The report by the prime minister’s adviser on ministers’ interests, Sir Alex Allan, found officials repeatedly gave her wrong information and failed to clear up the problem in time to allow her to correct the record when she appeared before MPs on 25 April. | |
| An executive summary of the report, published by the Home Office on Friday, criticised two senior officials for the way Rudd was told there were no targets, something put down to “crossed wires”, with other errors then meaning the mistake was missed. | An executive summary of the report, published by the Home Office on Friday, criticised two senior officials for the way Rudd was told there were no targets, something put down to “crossed wires”, with other errors then meaning the mistake was missed. |
| The officials, Hugh Ind, then the head of immigration enforcement, and Patsy Wilkinson, one of the Home Office’s head civil servants, have not faced any disciplinary action and have both now moved to different government jobs. | The officials, Hugh Ind, then the head of immigration enforcement, and Patsy Wilkinson, one of the Home Office’s head civil servants, have not faced any disciplinary action and have both now moved to different government jobs. |
| In the report, Allan criticised Ind for a “less than satisfactory performance” and said Wilkinson, as the manager of an exposed official, would have been expected to “play a more proactive role”. | |
| Rudd, who dropped strong hints that she was not about to return to frontline politics, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There are elements of this report which just show that, unfortunately, that area of the department did not have a grip on what was going on. | |
| “I hope that there will be changes made as a result of this report so that people get a better service from immigration enforcement.” | “I hope that there will be changes made as a result of this report so that people get a better service from immigration enforcement.” |
| Rudd questioned why the report had been “sat on for nearly six months” and claimed she had been targeted by a series of leaks while she was home secretary. | Rudd questioned why the report had been “sat on for nearly six months” and claimed she had been targeted by a series of leaks while she was home secretary. |
| “There were a series of leaks during the past year at quite a high level that were definitely intended to embarrass me,” she said. | “There were a series of leaks during the past year at quite a high level that were definitely intended to embarrass me,” she said. |
| Downing Street said Theresa May, who preceded Rudd as home secretary, accepted Allan’s findings. “Clearly, the report has raised some difficult and important issues, and the Home Office has rightly said that they’re going to learn from those,” May’s spokeswoman said. | Downing Street said Theresa May, who preceded Rudd as home secretary, accepted Allan’s findings. “Clearly, the report has raised some difficult and important issues, and the Home Office has rightly said that they’re going to learn from those,” May’s spokeswoman said. |
| But she rejected any suggestion of concerted efforts by civil servants to undermine ministers. “It is about a specific set of circumstances involving a small number of individuals,” the spokeswoman said. “There is nothing to suggest such issues are widespread across either the department or the civil service.” | |
| The PCS civil service union reacted angrily to the suggestion that officials should be held responsible. “It is galling how Amber Rudd cannot seem to take responsibility for the policies of the department she was in charge of as home secretary,” said Mark Serwotka, the PCS general secretary. | |
| “To attempt to shift blame on officials and overstretched, under-resourced Home Office staff for the mistakes during her time as home secretary is shocking. The hostile environment she oversaw and a culture of bullying and discrimination that was allowed to take place is to blame, not hard-working staff.” | |
| Amid wider turmoil at the Home Office, a review into whether the department had been fair and humane in its approach to immigration has been announced by Rudd’s successor, Sajid Javid. | Amid wider turmoil at the Home Office, a review into whether the department had been fair and humane in its approach to immigration has been announced by Rudd’s successor, Sajid Javid. |
| There were reports that Javid’s move was resisted by Downing Street because of concerns that his plans for a broad investigation could shine an unwelcome light on May’s time as home secretary. | |
| This was dismissed by No 10 on Friday. “I wouldn’t accept that,” May’s spokeswoman said. “The PM believes it’s clearly right the structures and processes in any department are reviewed to ensure they are effective and fair, and that’s what’s happening.” | This was dismissed by No 10 on Friday. “I wouldn’t accept that,” May’s spokeswoman said. “The PM believes it’s clearly right the structures and processes in any department are reviewed to ensure they are effective and fair, and that’s what’s happening.” |
| Rudd stepped down after revelations in the Guardian about the Windrush scandal culminated in a leak that appeared to show she was aware of targets for removing illegal immigrants from Britain. | |
| Amber Rudd | Amber Rudd |
| Immigration and asylum | Immigration and asylum |
| Commonwealth immigration | Commonwealth immigration |
| Windrush scandal | |
| Conservatives | |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |