'Parallels to Windrush scandal' as toddler refused passport

The UK has failed to learn lessons since the Windrush scandal, campaigners say, after a UK-born toddler was denied a British passport and asked to prove she had the right to free NHS treatment.

- Natricia Duncan

Three-year-old Zharia-Rae's mother, Tracy Ann Dunkley, has been a British citizen since 2024 and the child's older brother, born to the same parents in 2020, was given a British passport in 2022.

But Dunkley, from the Caribbean island of Anguilla, a British overseas territory (BOT), was told her daughter was not eligible for a British passport and was classed as a BOT citizen, which differs from British citizenship and limits her rights and privileges in the UK.

Dunkley has also been sent letters demanding proof that the child - who was born in Birmingham with hip dysplasia, is nonverbal and is being assessed for autism - is entitled to free NHS treatment.

The latest letter, received on Thursday, states that the investigation into the child's eligibility is based on the answers to questions asked about Zharia-Rae's nationality and immigration status and adds that an invoice will be prepared and issued.