Windrush man dies without compensation or apology

Hubert Howard had lived in the UK since the age of three

A Windrush campaigner has died just three weeks after being recognised by the Home Office as British.

Hubert Howard, 62, arrived in London from Jamaica at the age of three, and died of leukaemia on Tuesday.

His family said the citizenship came without compensation or apology and was of little comfort.

His employers were forced to dismiss him from his housing association job in 2012 after he was unable to prove he was living in the UK legally.

The government has reviewed 11,800 Windrush generation cases

Mr Howard's daughter Maresha said: "We did see as a family how he suffered so much."

She said her father was in debt due to the fact he had not been able to work, and as a result the family did not have any money to pay for his funeral.

"I've had to take it out of my university grant money," she said.

Mr Howard's daughter said his family was in debt after his right to work was withdrawn in 2012

Her father was advised by officials not to leave the country for fear he might not be able to re-enter the UK, she added.

It meant he could not risk travelling back to Jamaica to see his mother before she died.

• Windrush generation: Who are they and why are they facing problems?

Mr Howard's friend Tyrone McGibbon used to give him money every week, to keep him going.

He said: "I just don't think it's right. I don't think it's fair. I just don't understand it.

"How can you be in a country for over 50 years, over half a century and still not be recognised as British?"

The Home Office offered its condolences to the family and said Mr Howard's compensation claim "will still be progressed and we will be in contact with his family".

The Empire Windrush arriving at Tilbury Docks

Those arriving in the UK between 1948 and 1971 from Caribbean countries have been labelled the Windrush generation.

This is a reference to the ship MV Empire Windrush, which arrived at Tilbury Docks, Essex, on 22 June 1948, bringing workers from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands, as a response to post-war labour shortages in the UK.

The ship carried 492 passengers - many of them children.

The Home Office did not keep a record of those granted leave to remain or issue any paperwork confirming it, meaning it is difficult for Windrush arrivals to prove they are in the UK legally.