Andy Murray says government ‘should be ashamed of themselves’ over Windrush scandal

New BBC One show Sitting in Limbo shines a light on one of the worst scandals to hit the government that has caught the attention of the three-time tennis Grand Slam champion

Andy Murray has told the government they “should be ashamed of themselves” for the Windrush scandal.

The Conservative party is coming under increasing scrutiny for their ‘hostile environment policies that included hundreds of Caribbean people living and working in the UK being targeted by immigration enforcement.

It means that many people descending from the Caribbean, who had been in the UK for decades, were barred from working, refused access to government services, and lost access to welfare benefits.

In some cases, they were even detained and deported.

A new BBC feature drama, Sitting in Limbo, depicts the story of Anthony Bryan after being reported by newspapers and a documentary, while it was also included in a damning House of Commons hearing that helped to expose the scandal in the first place.

Bryan lived and worked in the UK for 50 years, only to be detained by immigration enforcement and banned from working. He was detained for five weeks and booked onto a flight to Jamaica, despite not visiting there since 1965 at the age of eight.

Three-time tennis Grand Slam champion Murray posted a message on Instagram after watching Bryan’s story, which left the two-time Wimbledon winner angry at the government’s role in leading the Windrush scandal.

“Just finished watching Sitting in Limbo,” Murray wrote on social media. “The government should be ashamed of themselves.”

Andy Murray hit out at the government for their role in the Windrush scandal (Instagram/@andymurray)

On Monday, Home Secretary Priti Patel apologised again for the government’s role in the scandal, saying: "On behalf of this and successive governments I am truly sorry for the actions that span decades."

More than 160 people may have been wrongly detained or deported, according to the government, with more than 1,270 compensation claims lodged following an independent review that stated “a profound institutional failure” has occurred.