Theresa May loses a strong supporter in cabinet, but for Sajid Javid, son of Pakistani immigrants, it is a considerable step up.
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British Home Secretary Amber Rudd has been forced to resign over her handling of the Windrush scandal.
In her resignation letter Rudd admitted she had inadvertently misled a parliamentary committee last week by denying the government had targets for the deportation of illegal migrants.
Leaked documents showed that to be wrong and Amber Rudd was set to appear before the House of Commons today for further questioning.
The Windrush children were the sons and daughters of migrants from the Carribean invited to Britain in the post-war years to fill labour shortfalls. These families were given British citizenship and the right to permanently reside.
But a Home Office mix-up has seen some of them lose that right and with it their jobs, homes and healthcare as they face deportation.
Downing Street was reluctant for her to quit as she was shielding Theresa May who oversaw immigration policy reform as the previous Home Secretary. Labour are now demanding she appears before the Commons.
Theresa May was left with a difficult choice for replacing Rudd, a prominent Remainer, in order to keep the Brexit balance of the cabinet.
She has picked the Housing and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid, himself the son Pakistani immigrants, for the job making him the first Muslim Home Secretary. He entered the Home Office saying helping the windrush generation is his most urgent task.