Annie Lennox re-records Why as she joins forces with AJ Tracey, Craig David and other for the #Justice4Windrush campaign

Don Letts, AJ Tracey and Annie Lennox are among the British musicians calling for an overhaul of the Windrush compensation scheme.

Lady Doreen Lawrence, TV star Jay Blades, and actors Colin McFarlane and Adrian Lester have also added their names to the #Justice4Windrush letter. Martin Forde, legal adviser to the #Justice4Windrush campaign and legal adviser to the Home Office on the design of the Windrush Compensation Scheme, has also voiced his support for the document, which was addressed to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party.

Among other things, the campaigners are demanding the system be taken out of Home Office hands and instead administered by an independent organisation. The burden of documentary proof individuals must submit before being classified as eligible for payments should also be lowered.

In 2012 the Hostile Environment led to the mass violation of rights of the Windrush generation and their descendants. Many were wrongfully detained, deported and lost access to essential services. The compensation, created and controlled by the Home Office, has fallen short of delivering justice and the impacts are still experienced to this day.

• More than 16,000 British citizens misclassified as illegal immigrants as a result of the Hostile Environment policy
• Many lost their jobs and access to pensions, essential services, housing and more
• Only 6% of eligible applicants have received compensation
• Less than ? of allocated funds have been paid out after nearly 5 years
• Victims continue to live under threats of detention and deportation

The scandal is not over.

Annie Lennox writes “After the horrendous murder of Stephen Lawrence on 22nd April 1993, I hoped the opportunity might come to finally address the challenges of bigotry, hatred and racism which have pervaded the British Establishment for far too long. Tragically since then, nothing much seems to have changed. There are still so many injustices to be faced up to.
Our purpose is to keep the issue of Windrush front and centre in people’s minds so that justice might finally be delivered. Britain’s Windrush generation must be seen, heard and healed. They deserve nothing less.”

Annie has also donated a re-recording of her song Why? to the campaign, which is used in a video below, along with an interview on Channel 4.