Sajid Javid got the name of Windrush victim Paulette Wilson wrong in a tweet paying tribute to the campaigner after she died on Thursday.
The former home secretary posted a tribute in response to the news of Wilson’s unexpected death at the age of 64 – but called her Pauline.
Javid wrote: “Very saddened to hear this.
“Pauline, and so many others, were let down by the Home Office.
“We must keep working to make sure this never happens again. Thoughts with her family and friends. May she RIP.”
The error came despite Javid having previously “liked” a tweet by his successor Priti Patel naming Wilson.
Javid’s tweet has since been deleted and replaced with the correct spelling of Wilson’s name.
Wilson, a Windrush campaigner who was left destitute while fighting for her rights as a British citizen, died a month after she delivered a 130,000-strong petition to Downing Street calling for action to address the failings which led to the scandal.
Her daughter said she found her mother early on Thursday, and she appeared to have died in her sleep, PA Media reported.
Wilson, from Wolverhampton, came to Britain from Jamaica aged 10 in the late 1960s. She attended school in Britain, paid national insurance contributions for 34 years and worked hard to build a life in the UK.
The grandmother-of-one was a chef who worked in the House of Commons restaurant serving meals to MPs and also volunteered at her local church, preparing meals for homeless people.
Wilson spent two years under the threat of deportation and was wrongly locked up in a detention centre before being told she could stay in the UK in 2017.
On Friday, Windrush campaigner Patrick Vernon launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for Wilson’s funeral, while some people have taken to social media to demand that the home office cover these costs.