“ … they can change their mind about anything”: temporality, citizenship, belonging and the Windrush Scandal

Global attention was drawn to the social injustice of the Windrush Scandal. People who despite living in the UK for decades as British citizens, were categorised as “illegal immigrants”. Little scholarship attention is paid to temporality regarding the loss of citizenship after living as a British citizen. This article focuses on the temporal nature of citizenship and belonging. With a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 participants who directly experienced the Windrush Scandal. Four findings emerge. Firstly, the victims did not perceive the scandal as a single one-off experience but rather a cocktail mix of everyday bordering, experienced since arriving in the UK as children. Secondly, everyday life became precarious, changing behaviours of victims. Thirdly, victims were blamed by their families and friends as well as the state. Finally, victims believe that despite being granted their British citizenship, they fear for their future security.