Amber Rudd is clinging on for her political life as she gives evidence to the Home Affairs select committee on Windrush this afternoon. Unfortunately, Rudd can’t pull the usual ministerial trick and blame her predecessor… as her predecessor is now her boss.
However, if the home secretary were to blame Theresa May for contributing to the poisonous anti-immigrant sentiment that has fuelled the culture behind the Windrush scandal, she’d have plenty of evidence to pick from. And since Rudd won’t be pointing it out, someone’s going to have to.
“There are some misconceptions about our immigration policies that need be corrected. [One is] that wanting to control immigration in future is an attack on people who have already settled here or their children.” Theresa May, December 2012.
Well this is precisely what happened with the Windrush scandal.
“You only have to look at London, where almost half of all primary school children speak English as a second language, to see the challenges we now face as a country.” Theresa May, December 2012.
No need to worry May, children who speak English as a second language outperform their native speaking classmates in a range of academic tests by the age of seven.
“Badly managed migration has led to serious social impacts in some areas, with pressure being placed on key public services such as schools, the health service, transport, housing and welfare.” Theresa May, November 2010.
In the NHS, 12.5 per cent of staff say that their nationality is not British – that’s 139,000 people. Migrants coming to the UK since the year 2000 have been less likely to receive benefits or use social housing than people already living in the country.
“How can people build relationships with their neighbours if they can’t even speak the same language?” Theresa May, December 2012.
Have you seen Love Actually?
“On migration, I emphasised the UK would continue to play its part in tackling the ongoing migration crisis.” Theresa May, June 2017.
Let’s not forget the time that May repeatedly described the refugees fleeing from a war-zone as a ‘migration crisis’.
“This government is committed to ending the detention of children for immigration purposes.” Theresa May, November 2010.
She said, during the early days of the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition. Fast forward five years, and children fleeing war zones are still being locked up in Yarl’s Wood detention centre.
“There is evidence, too, that immigration puts a downward pressure on wages.” Theresa May, December 2012.
This is true, but not in a significant way. Government policies and wider economic performance has a much greater effect.
“When immigration is too high, when the pace of change is too fast, it’s impossible to build a cohesive society.” Theresa May, October 2015.
Other barriers to a cohesive society include deporting disabled pensioners who have married, had children and lived here for 44 years.
“[When immigration is too high] some people are forced out of work altogether.” Theresa May, October 2015.
Well, she has consistently failed to hit her target, so we can only hope.
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