Bedford councillor describes BBC drama a powerful portrayal of the ‘pain and fear’ caused by the Windrush Scandal

Bedford Borough Liberal Democrat Councillor Patrick Solomon has said that Monday night’s BBC television drama Sitting In Limbo ‘brought home the pain and fear’ caused by the Government’s betrayal of the Windrush generation.

The drama told the true story of Anthony Bryan, who had lived and worked in Britain for over 50 years when he was wrongly detained and very nearly deported in 2017.

Cllr Solomon (Kingsbrook Ward) won unanimous support at a Bedford Borough Council meeting in February for a motion pledging solidarity and support for local residents of the Windrush generation in the wake of the Windrush scandal.

He said: “My own parents were members of the Windrush generation, and this drama brought home the pain and fear caused to those targeted by the government.

"The shocking case of Anthony Bryan is only one of many which saw people who had lived here legally for decades detained and terrorised by the government.’

“As we continue to stand up in solidarity with those protesting against appalling racism in the United States, it’s a stark reminder that here in this country the Black Lives Matter message is every bit as relevant.

"The government continues to operate a hostile environment for people not born in this country, and meanwhile it has paid just a tiny fraction of the compensation it promised to those who were wrongly targeted.

"We need to continue to speak up for those who were so sorely betrayed.”

After the Windrush scandal was exposed, the government apologised in 2018 and established a compensation pot intended to pay out £500m. Today, two years on, just £360,000 has been paid to victims.