May accused of 'callousness' over Windrush by Corbyn - but she hits back

There were fiery exchanges in the Commons as Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn clashed over the destruction of landing cards that recorded the arrival of Windrush immigrants to Britain.

The Labour leader accused the Prime Minister of "callousness and incompetence", but a furious Mrs May said she had little time for lectures from a leader who "allows anti-Semitism to run rife in his party".

The disclosure that the documents were disposed of has deepened the scandal, but there has been confusion over when the decision was made.

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The Home Office said on Tuesday that the decision was taken in 2010 by the UK Border Agency - when the PM was home secretary.

But speaking in the Commons during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mrs May contradicted this.

In a heated exchange, Mr Corbyn said: "Yesterday we learned in 2010 the Home Office destroyed the landing cards for a generation of Commonwealth citizens, so have told people 'We can't find you in our system'.

"Did the Prime Minister, the then-home secretary, sign off that decision?"

The PM replied: "No, the decision to destroy the landing cards was taken in 2009 under a Labour government."

There was confusion as to whether Mrs May was stating that the Labour government itself had taken the decision, or was saying that it was made during the party's time in office.

Mr Corbyn said Mrs May's Government had displayed "callousness and incompetence" on the issue - but the PM hit back, saying that she would not take lessons from a leader who "allows anti-Semitism to run rife in his party".

The testy exchange came after the Labour leader claimed it was Mrs May's "pandering to bogus immigration targets" during her time as home secretary that had cost people their jobs, homes and pensions.

Number 10 sought to provide clarity after PMQs, saying the destruction of the landing cards was an "operational decision" by the UK Border Agency in 2009, meaning it was not a ministerial decision.

In a further attempt to clarify the timeline, Downing Street said the business case for disposing of the paper records was approved by Border Agency in June 2009, while the operational decision to actually begin destroying the slips was enacted in October 2010 when the Conservative-led coalition was in power.

A spokesman said Mrs May was not involved in the decision and it was taken at official level.

But Labour accused the PM of trying to "shift the blame" and said the Government's story was "shifting by the hour".

A spokesman said: "In the confusion, one thing is already clear: The change in the law in 2014 that meant members of the Windrush generation faced deportation and the loss of their rights, including to healthcare, was made in full view of the fact that the vital information had been destroyed.

"The Home Secretary at the time must be held to account for the disastrous impact her 'hostile environment' policies have had on the lives of British citizens."

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has called for her counterpart Amber Rudd to "consider her position", while Labour MP Chris Williamson told Sky News Mrs May herself should do the same.

The Windrush generation came to Britain from the Commonwealth after the Second World War and are named after the ship that brought one of the first large groups of West Indians to Britain.

Anyone who entered the UK before 1973 is legally entitled to live in the country.

But despite having been in the UK for most of their lives, many have begun to experience issues as a result of tightened immigration requirements.

It has seen some - who might never have felt the need to apply for a UK passport before - left without the documentation now required by officials.

As many as 50,000 are thought to be experiencing difficulties in finding work, getting NHS care, accessing benefits, or trying to secure housing.

There are even fears some may have been deported in error.

Ms Rudd has said she did not have "any evidence" this had happened, but Cabinet Office minister David Lidington said officials were trawling through files to establish whether there had been any wrongful deportations.

Some 49 people contacted a Home Office helpline after it was set up on Tuesday.

The decision to destroy the landing slips was taken for data protection reasons, according to the Home Office.

It said they "did not provide any reliable evidence relating to ongoing residence in the UK or their immigration status" and that it was "misleading and inaccurate to suggest that registration slips would therefore have a bearing on immigration cases".

Mrs May told the Commons the Government would help those who had their immigration status questioned by the Home Office resolve their situation as soon as possible.

"These people are British. They are part of us. I want to be absolutely clear that we have no intention of asking anyone to leave who has the right to remain here," she told MPs.

"For those who have mistakenly received letters challenging them, I want to apologise to them and I want to say sorry to anyone who has been caused confusion and anxiety by this."

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