Emotional moment man from Windrush generation receives first British passport

A 65-year-old man who has struggled to find work or go abroad throughout his life has broken down in tears after receiving a British passport.

Joseph Mowlah-Baksh is one of almost 60,000 people whose lives have been impacted by the Windrush scandal.

The now 65-year-old arrived in England as a baby on Empire Windrush in 1948 on his dad’s passport.

In 2017, it emerged that many of the children on board the ship were at the time wrongly classified as illegal immigrants.

In a new documentary, Pride of Britain: A Windrush Special, that aired on ITV last night Mr Mowlah-Baksh revealed his story.

He explained to Mel B, of the Spice Girls, that finally getting a passport has ended ’40 years of chasing’.

Mr Mowlah-Baksh arrived in England as a baby on Empire Windrush (Picture: ITV)

He said one of the reasons he couldn’t find work was because he had no official ID.

Mr Mowlah-Baksh said: ‘I had really good interviews, shake their hand. When you come in can you bring a passport or drivers licence just to verify the details? And I’d have to get into my story all over again.’

And after finally being presented with his new passport in an emotional moment, he added: ‘All the fuss and all the drama – it’s finished with now.’

The documentary shares stories from a number of members of the Windrush generation, which received a Pride of Britain Award this year.

The Windrush Generation refers to people from Caribbean countries who moved to the UK up until 1971, beginning with the arrival of passengers on the HMT Empire Windrush ship on June 22, 1948.

The new documentary which aired yesterday sees well known figures like Sir Trevor McDonald speak to people who are the Windrush generation (Picture: ITV)

Many people in the Windrush generation were victims of the government’s ‘hostile environment’ policies (Picture: ITV)

They shared their personal stories with figures including Sir Trevor McDonald, Alesha Dixon, Mel B, Judi Love and Prince William as part of the documentary.

This year marked the 75th anniversary of the arrival of Empire Windrush.

People up and down the country marked the anniversary, with King Charles attending a service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle for young people.

The King was joined by young descendents of ‘Windrush pioneers’ at the service to celebrate their ‘immeasurable’ contribution to Britain.

The Prince of Wales also said the Windrush generation’s contributions to Britain ‘cannot be overstated’.

Sir Lloyd Coxsone, who has been nominated for a Pride of Britain award, also features in the show (Picture: ITV)

Prince William is pictured with Alford Garner, who arrived in England on Empire Windrush and also features in the documentary (Picture: ITV)

In a video posted on social media, William said: ‘They and the generation of Commonwealth citizens who followed in their footsteps, chose this country to start new lives. We know they experienced hardships.

‘Their contributions to the Britain we know now cannot be overstated.

‘We are a better people today because the children and the grandchildren of those who came in 1948 have stayed and become part of who we are in 2023. And for that we are forever grateful.’

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People of the Windrush generation, like Mr Mowlah Baksh, ended up struggling as victims of the government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy.

It was found in 2020 that the Home Office policy broke equality laws and contributed to serious injustices faced by the Windrush generation, according to a damning report.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said Theresa May’s government constantly ignored, dismissed or disregarded the severity of the negative consequences of the policy on black members of the Windrush generation – whose treatment was branded ‘a shameful stain on British history’. 

You can watch Pride of Britain: A Windrush Special back on ITV Player.

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