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LEAFLET: The guide was designed to help deportees settle back into Jamaica

A GOVERNMENT guide for British residents deported to Jamaica has attracted criticism after it was discovered that it advised deportees to “try to be Jamaican”.

The leaflet, which was produced in 2013 during Theresa May tenure as home secretary, features a list of dos and don’ts for people being deported from the UK to Jamaica.

One tip reads: “Try to be ‘Jamaican’ – use local accents and dialect (overseas accents can attract unwanted attention).”

TIPS: The leaflet tells deportees to "Try to be Jamaican"

David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham, expressed outrage at the guide.

On discovering the pamphlet, Lammy said: “What is this Theresa May and Amber Rudd? I thought this was a joke but UK Home Office have actually produced a “Coming home to Jamaica guide”. Eg “Try to be Jamaican”. How can someone do that when they are British and their home is in Britain?”

He said the guide tells a sad story about the government’s treatment of migrants.

Lammy said: “It is hard to believe that this document was written, approved and published. The very fact that the government feels that this is an appropriate way to treat the ancestors of those Caribbean pioneers who were invited to Britain as citizens tells its own sad story about the treatment of immigrants in our country.”

The leaflet was supported by the British and Jamaican governments, and put together by charities and non-governmental organisations in Jamaica.

May has today apologised to the 12 Caribbean heads of government for the way that members of the Windrush generation have been treated. She has also sought to reassure those affected that they will not be deported.

She said: “We very much regret any anxiety that uncertainty over their status may have caused.

“We would also like to reassure you that there will be no removals or detention as part of any assistance to help these citizens get their proper documentation in place.”

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