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PMQs: Jeremy Corbyn calls on Amber Rudd to resign over Windrush scandal

Theresa May, the Prime Minister - AFP
Theresa May, the Prime Minister - AFP

Jeremy Corbyn has called on Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, to resign over her handling of the Windrush scandal. 

The Labour leader said it was time Ms Rudd "took responsibility" for the Government's treatment of Windrush generation citizens who have been threatened with deportation. 

Mr Corbyn made the call during Prime Minister's Questions as Theresa May warned against conflating the two separate issues of tackling illegal immigration and the plight of the Windrush generation who are British citizens. 

Mr Corbyn said: "Last week the current Home Secretary admitted the Home Office sometimes loses sight of the individual, yet we now know that when she took over from her predecessor her intent was to harden this cruel and misdirected policy, pledging to do so ruthlessly.

"A report last month by immigration officials stated the hostile environment measures were not even having the desired effect.

"The current Home Secretary inherited a failing policy and made it worse. Isn't it time she took responsibility and resigned?"

Theresa May, the Prime Minister - Credit: AFP
Theresa May, the Prime Minister Credit: AFP

Mrs May replied: "Up and down this country people want to ensure that the Government is taking action against those people who are here in this country illegally, those people who are here illegally.

"Because it isn't fair that people who work hard day in and day out, who contribute to this country, who put into the life of this country, are seeing people who are here illegally accessing services in the same way.

"We are acting to ensure that those people who are here legally are given the support that they need."

She said the Windrush generation "are British, they are part of us and we are ensuring that they remain here and are able to continue to live their lives here".

"But it is also right that this Government takes action against those people who are accessing services despite being here illegally and not putting in and not contributing to this country," she added. 

Ms Rudd announced on Monday that British citizenship fees and language tests will be waived for the Windrush generation. 

12:52PM

Yvette Cooper warns Theresa May against trying to 'hide behind civil servants' over Windrush

Theresa May - Credit: AFP
Theresa May Credit: AFP

The Labour chairwoman of the Home Affairs Select Committee tells the Prime Minister "do not try to hide behind me or the Labour Party" on the Windrush issue. 

She says the Prime Minister's "obsession" with hitting the Government's net migration target had caused "damage". 

She also warns the PM against trying to "hide behind civil servants when she instilled the policy". 

Labour MPs yell "shame on you" and there are calls of "resign". 

But Mrs May responds: "Nobody is trying to blame anybody else."

"I have apologised to the Windrush generation and I do so again," she adds. 

12:37PM

Theresa May takes aim at Jeremy Corbyn over action against anti-Semitism

Theresa May - Credit: PA
Theresa May, the Prime Minister Credit: PA

Theresa Villiers, the Conservative former Northern Ireland secretary, claims Labour is not taking the issue of anti-Semitism seriously enough.

Mrs May mentions Jeremy Corbyn and tells the Commons: "It is important that everybody across this House takes action to stamp out racism in all its forms, and that includes anti-Semitism."

12:28PM

SNP accuse Government of being 'bereft of ideas' on post-Brexit Irish border issue

Ian Blackford, the SNP's leader in Westminster, asks the Prime Minister about whether the UK could stay in a customs union with the European Union after Brexit. 

He claims that talks are "effectively at a standstill" and that the Government is "bereft of ideas" on how to solve the Irish border issue.  

Theresa May during PMQs - Credit: PA
Theresa May during PMQs Credit: PA

He asks Mrs May: "Will the Prime Minister confirm that if this place votes in favour of a customs union that will be the negotiating position of the Government?" 

Mrs May dismisses Mr Blackford's question and insists "this Government is not bereft of ideas".  

The issue of the customs union/a customs union is picked up by Tory MP Richard Drax who seeks assurances from Mrs May about the Government's stance on the issue. 

MPs are due to vote on a Tory rebel-lead bid to keep the UK in a customs union with the EU after Brexit next month. 

12:22PM

Jeremy Corbyn calls on Amber Rudd to resign over Windrush scandal

Theresa May addresses the House of Commons - Credit: PA
Theresa May addresses the House of Commons during PMQs Credit: PA

Mr Corbyn says Amber Rudd "inherited a failing policy and made it worse". 

The Labour leader then claims it is time the Home Secretary "took responsibility and resigned". 

But Mrs May hits back and says of the Windrush generation: "They are British, they are part of us and we are ensuring they remain here." 

"It is also right that the Government takes action against people who are accessing services despite being here illegally," she adds. 

12:18PM

Theresa May vows to leave 'no stone unturned' to help Windrush generation

Mrs May warns against conflating the two issues of the Windrush generation and illegal immigration. 

She says that action against illegal immigrants "has been taken by successive governments"

She adds: "It is not fair to people who work hard and have a right to be here if they see people who are here illegally being given the same rights and access to services."

But Mr Corbyn urges the Prime Minister to review legislation to make sure there is never a repeat of the Windrush scandal. 

Mrs May says the Government is not "ignoring the problems that some members of this generation are facing".

She says: "The problem was prior to 1973 they were not given documents... we are now putting that right." 

"We will leave no stone unturned in putting that right," she adds. 

Mr Corbyn says the Windrush generation has faced "immense suffering" as he calls on the Prime Minister to "tell us the hostile environment is over" and that the Government's "bogus" immigration target will be scrapped.

Mrs May again reiterates the Government's desire to crackdown on illegal immigrants. 

12:12PM

Theresa May says details of Windrush compensation scheme to be set out 'in due course'

Jeremy Corbyn uses his first question to the Prime Minister to ask about the Windrush scandal. 

He says that Labour "recognise that the Home Secretary has rightly apologiosed to the Windrush generation" for the treatment they have received. 

He welcomes the promise of compensation but questions when the Government will set out how the scheme will work. 

He asks the Prime Minister to confirm that British citizens will be "fully compensated". 

Mrs May says that Windrush citizens will not have to complete a language test and any citizenship application fee will be waived. 

She then says that details of the compensation scheme will be set out by Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, "in due course". 

"The Windrush generation are British, they are part of us," she says. 

12:05PM

Theresa May: Stephen Lawrence 'will never be forgotten' 

The Prime Minister is now on her feet in the House of Commons. She begins by offering "our warmest of congratulations" to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their son. 

She also marks the anniversary of the death of Stephen Lawrence and insists his death "will never be forgotten". 

11:49AM

David Davis insists Government is not 'winging it' on Brexit

The Brexit Secretary faced a grilling in front of the Brexit Select Committee on Wednesday morning and some of the things he said are likely to get a mention at PMQs. 

Firstly, Mr Davis denied suggestions that the Government is "winging it" on Brexit. 

He told MPs: "No, we are not winging it but we are having to accommodate different changes as we go along."

He also said there would not be a repeat of the Windrush scandal with the children of EU citizens living in Britain.

"At the risk of being mildly self-righteous I'll point you to my own speeches early on in this process where I said our treatment of the European citizens in the UK would be a moral issue, it was a moral imperative and that is how we will treat it," he said.

David Davis  - Credit: AFP
David Davis, the Brexit Secretary Credit: AFP

Mr Davis also dismissed reports that the European Council had set a June deadline for a final decision to be made on the thorny issue of the Irish border. 

The Brexit Secretary has previously suggested he was looking to October for an agreement.

He told the committee: "In negotiations, people try to set up deadlines - sometimes artificial deadlines - to put pressure on an element of the negotiation which they think is in their favour."

Mr Davis said he agreed with Irish Taioseach Leo Varadkar that a good agreement in October was better than any agreement in March.

11:43AM

Full list of MPs chosen to ask a question at PMQs