Crucial Windrush landing documents that ‘could have stopped deportations’ destroyed under Theresa May

THERESA MAY was dragged into the ‘Windrush’ debacle last night as it emerged the Home Office destroyed Caribbean immigrants’ old landing cards on her watch.

A whistleblower revealed that in October 2010 – when the PM was Home Secretary – thousands of landing slips documenting the arrival of West Indians and their kids in the 50s and 60s were chucked away.

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It came just 24 hours after it emerged that some of the same immigrants faced deportation unless they could prove their residency and “build up a picture” of their time in the UK.

Furious MPs and campaigners said the revelation defied belief as the chaos engulfing Government over the scandal deepened.

The PM’s official spokesman last night insisted the landing slips were destroyed on the orders of officials in the now defunct UK Border Agency as part of an office move.

He insisted they would not have been able to prove residency – unlike a utility bill or Marriage certificate.

In other developments:

• The Prime Minister apologised to Caribbean leaders for the Government's handling of the Windrush crisis
• The son of a Windrush migrant was saved from deportation at the last minute after a U-turn from ministers
• A mother of five who moved to Britain as a child was branded an illegal immigrant despite living here for 50 years
• The Home Office started investigating 49 new Windrush cases which have come to light this week
• Officials scrabbled to work out whether any Caribbean-born Brits have mistakenly been kicked out of the UK

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But Labour’s David Lammy stormed: “This revelation reveals the problems being faced by the Windrush generation are not down to one-off bureaucratic errots but as a direct result of systemic incompetence, callousness and cruelty within our immigration system.

“Who is going to take responsibility and resign? When are they going to resign? This happened on the Prime Minister’s watch.”

It came as the Windrush row caused Theresa May to rip up her plans and meet Commonwealth heads of state for peace talks at the Commonwealth Summit in London.

She said she was “genuinely sorry” for the anxiety that had been caused and dispelled the idea the Government was trying to clamp down on citizens from the region.

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But Jamaica’s PM Andrew Holness publicly shamed her by winning a round of applause when criticising the Government over the handling of the affair.

Thousands of Windrush-era immigrants who came to the UK in 1973 have faced the threat of deportation because of tough new rules introduced in 2014 to weed out illegal immigrants.

Windrush immigrants who never took up a UK passport have lost jobs or healthcare because they cannot prove they have lived here as long as they have.

On Monday, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said she had no idea whether the Government had wrongly deported anyone. "appalling" treatment some of them received - and some have faced deportation.

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She apologised for the “appalling” treatment of Commonwealth citizens and said no one would be deported or detained while the scandal was cleared up.

As of last night, some 49 Windrush-era immigrants had called a new hotline set up to “regularise” their status.

The Home Office still could not say how many Windrush immigrants may be affected.

Yvette Cooper, the Labour chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee demanded to know how many cases were being reviewed and how many Windrush children had been deported in error.

Are you a member of the Windrush generation and having problems proving your status? Get in touch with [email protected] or call 020 7782 4379 to share your story