About us
The role of the Independent Windrush Commissioner is to be a trusted voice for victims and their families, ensuring their experiences are heard and that meaningful action is taken to address the injustices they have endured.
Independent Windrush Commissioner
“I’m committed to delivering justice for people affected by the Home Office Windrush Scandal through cultural change, accountability, and action. My aim is to deliver change that people can see and feel in their everyday lives. I act independently, without fear or favour, guided by the voices and needs of impacted people. I firmly believe that the legacy of the Windrush generations must be defined by their extraordinary contribution to the UK, not by a scandal.”
What is the Windrush Commissioner’s role?
As Windrush Commissioner, I serve as an independent public appointee. I am committed to standing alongside those affected by the Home Office Windrush Scandal. My role is to be a trusted voice for victims and their families, ensuring their experiences are heard and that meaningful action is taken to address the injustices they have endured.
I will work to extend the reach and impact of the Windrush Compensation Scheme to ensure it is accessible, fair, and responsive to all affected communities across the Commonwealth. I will also identify and raise systemic issues across government, advocating for change where it is most needed and holding government to account. A key part of my role is to provide assurance on the Home Office’s delivery of the compensation scheme, recognising that its efficiency and fairness directly affect people who are still living with the trauma of their experiences.
To help ensure such injustices are never repeated, I will offer independent advice on the government’s progress in implementing the Windrush Lessons Learned Review, led by Wendy Williams. My role is to challenge constructively, support long-term cultural change, and ensure the lessons of the past are embedded into the way government works.
Through this work, I aim to help rebuild trust, promote accountability, and ensure that the Windrush generations, and all those affected by the scandal, are treated with the dignity and respect they have always deserved. Central to this is ensuring ongoing visibility and recognition of the Windrush generation’s enduring legacy – past and present – and celebrating the vital contributions they and their descendants have made in shaping modern Britain.
Who is the Windrush Commissioner?
Reverend Clive Foster MBE was appointed in June 2025 as the first Windrush Commissioner, an independent public role created to help deliver justice for those affected by the Home Office Windrush Scandal.
Alongside his work as Commissioner, Reverend Foster serves as Multi-Faith Manager at Nottingham Trent University and Senior Minister of the Pilgrim Church in Nottingham. He brings extensive experience in equality, diversity, and inclusion, with a background spanning community leadership, public service, and business.
He has long been involved in social justice work, particularly around racial inequality. As a founding member of the Nottingham Windrush Support Forum, he has supported efforts to secure justice for those impacted by the scandal and to celebrate the contributions of the Windrush generations.
In recognition of his work, he was awarded an MBE in the 2023 New Year Honours List and previously served as Vice Chair of the Windrush National Organisation, advocating for affected communities in the UK and internationally.
Reverend Foster has also contributed to national conversations on hate crime and community cohesion. As a former trustee of Citizens UK, he helped lead a major research initiative on hate crime that contributed to Nottingham becoming the first UK city to recognise misogyny as a hate crime – work that earned him the Upstanding Organisation Award at the No2Hate National Awards in 2018.
His community contributions have been recognised with the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire Community Award (2023), and he recently co-chaired the Place-Based Partnership Race Health Inequalities Group, which published the Local Routes to Change report in 2024. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Justice Museum. Reverend Foster regularly contributes to public discussions on race, faith, and community, and has written for a range of media outlets on these issues.
Our Team
The Office of the Windrush Commissioner operates independently from the Home Office. The Commissioner has full authority over staffing decisions and the direction of the office’s work. All staff work to the Commissioner and are accountable to him.
Our team brings together a mix of experience and perspectives, united by a shared commitment to addressing the harms of the Home Office Windrush scandal and securing justice for those affected. Some staff have backgrounds in government and public policy, bringing insight into how departments like the Home Office operate. Others have been recruited from outside government, broadening the range of perspectives and strengthening our engagement with individuals, families and communities. This combination is a deliberate choice by the Commissioner.
We believe that securing lasting cultural change in the Home Office requires both an understanding of how government works and a genuine connection to those affected by its decisions. Our team is built to do both: to navigate the system and to challenge it.
The Commissioner has, and will continue to, challenge the Home Office where necessary. He will call out failure where he sees it and press for lasting change. He leads all of our work and remains committed to transparency, constructive challenge, and securing meaningful outcomes for the Windrush generations and Commonwealth communities affected by the Home Office Windrush Scandal.