THE author of a damning report on the Windrush scandal said yesterday that she had been “moved” and “shocked” by the experiences of those affected. 

The Lessons Learnt Review, written by Wendy Williams, accused the Home Office of a “profound institutional failure” over the wrongful detention, deportation and denial of services suffered by hundreds of people of the Windrush generation. 

Ms Williams told the Commons home affairs committee yesterday that she had been “incredibly moved” when conducting the independent review. 

“The more that I looked into what had happened, the more concerned I became,” she told MPs, and that speaking to some of those affected had been a “shocking experience.”

Giving evidence on how the Home Office can reform its practices and culture in the wake of the scandal, Ms Williams said: “Now is the time for action and it’s only by people at the top making clear their expectations of those who they lead … that these changes will result.” 

If not, she warned, “that will be a significant, possibly once-in-a-generation, opportunity lost.”