Prime Minister Theresa May has said sorry to 12 Caribbean nations for the harsh treatment of post-war migrants to the UK, denied rights in recent years amid a tightening of immigration rules.
ADVERTISEMENTBritain has said sorry to thousands of UK residents who have been denied basic rights after being falsely identified as illegal immigrants, despite living and paying taxes in the country for decades.
The so-called Windrush generation, which came mostly from the Caribbean, has fallen victim to recent government attempts to tighten immigration laws.
"I am today announcing a new dedicated team that will be set up to help these people evidence their right to be in this country and access services. The team will be tasked with helping these applicants demonstrate they are entitled to live in the UK, and will be tasked with resolving cases within two weeks of the evidence being provided," said British Home Secretary (interior minister) Amber Rudd.
But there was anger in parliament after the government admitted that some people may have been deported in error.
"Can she tell the House how many have been denied health under the National Health Service? How many have been denied pensions? How many have lost their jobs? This is a day of national shame and it has come about because of a hostile environment policy that was begun under her prime minister. Let us call it as it is," said opposition Labour MP David Lammy.
When Commonwealth citizens were invited to fill labour shortages and help rebuild the UK's battered economy after World War Two, almost half a million people left their homes in the West Indies to live in Britain between 1948 and 1970, according to Britain's National Archives.