VICTIMS of the Windrush scandal remain suspicious and apprehensive towards the Home Office, the commissioner overseeing their compensation said today.

Clive Foster said he would push for the compensation scheme to be “fair, accessible and trauma-informed” and pledged to act as a “trusted voice” for the Windrush community.

The comments by the first Windrush commissioner came amid ongoing criticism of the scheme’s slow progress.

As of May, 10,326 claims have been made and just over £112 million paid out across 3,334 of them.

At least 64 claimants have died without receiving a penny, according to Immigration Minister Seema Malhotra.

Mr Foster warned today that moving the scheme away from the Home Office, as demanded by campaigners, could slow progress even further.

The senior pastor from Nottingham, whose parents came to Britain from Jamaica in 1959, said he would work with campaigners and advise the department “where they’re getting it right and where they’re getting it wrong.”

Asked whether trust in the Home Office had been restored, he said: “I’m afraid I still feel that there is apprehension and some suspicion with regards to ‘is this working towards better outcomes?’

“What we need to accelerate is the actions and activities that are going to build trust.”

He said the department must show through its actions, rather than mere words, “that there is going to be a culture change.”

Mr Foster pledged to work to ensure that the legacy of the Windrush generation is celebrated in the future, including through the annual Notting Hill Carnival in west London.

Last month, campaigners warned that the carnival’s future was in jeopardy and called on the government to protect it by urgently providing financial support.