A Newsnight report on the Nuked Blood Scandal led to questions in Parliament as Angela Rayner paid tribute to veterans
Angela Rayner pays tribute to nuclear veterans
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has paid tribute to survivors of Britain’s nuclear weapons experiments after Newsnight featured their story for the first time.
Veterans Brian Unthank, 87, and John Morris, also 87, appeared on a special edition of the BBC’s flagship political programme alongside veteran’s son Steve Purse, 51, and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
Mr Burnham told presenter Victoria Derbyshire that serving politicians “should be embarrassed” and “risk being complicit” if they do not act to end the injustice of a seven-decade cover-up of biological monitoring of troops who were deliberately exposed to radiation.
Brian and John, who have more than 100 cancers between them, told how the results of the monitoring had subsequently been removed from their medical files, denying them war pensions and answers about the illnesses which have blighted their families.
“It’s heartbreaking to listen to. Why, after all these years, should they have to sit here and plead for the basic truth about what happened to them?” asked Mr Burnham. “It goes to the hart of the British state. They can blame the police for for Hillsborough, the NHS for infected blood, the Post Office for the Horizon scandal. Here, what has happened is that at the heart of Whitehall, British policy was basically a preordained, systematic, brutal policy to put tens of thousands of British servicemen in the line of radiation without their knowledge, without their consent, without personal protective equipment, and then they conducted secret tests on them and denied it for decades.”
The programme was followed yesterday by questions in Parliament, with Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs demanding ministers take action to deliver compensation and apologies.
* You can watch the programme HERE
Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey told Prime Minister’s Questions: “Last night, Newsnight covered the Daily Mirror’s 3-year investigation into the Nuked Blood Scandal, in which thousands of troops had their blood and urine monitored, even chest x-rays, during nuclear weapons tests but the results were with from their medical records, and their suffering denied for decades. As a fierce supporter of these men and their families, who she’s met with me, will the Right Honourable lady agree… that time is of the essence, and these elderly veterans deserve answers, justice, and an apology?”
Angela Rayner, who was deputising for Keir Starmer, replied: “I commend her on the campaigning she’s done on this issue, and I have met with some of those affected and I know the strength of feeling on this and I’ve heard their deeply personal testimony and experiences.
“I pay tribute to all of the nuclear test veterans and their enduring contribution to our nation’s security, especially during Armed Forces Week, and we’re looking into unresolved questions regarding their medical records… as a priority.”
Tewkesbury MP Cameron Thomas told the Commons: “In 1957, my constituent Ronald Clark was among 22,000 UK personnel exposed to nuclear testing on Christmas Island. These veterans and their descendants have suffered various cancers, crippling illnesses, and deformities, but the MoD has never accepted liability. Noting the Deputy Prime Minister’s response to her honourable friend, it doesn’t quite go far enough. Time is running out. Will she meet with me, my constituent and these veterans to determine appropriate compensation?”
Ms Rayner replied that “the Minister for Veterans will be happy to meet with him and the veterans to discuss this issue”.
A records review was ordered in November after a million people saw a devastating BBC documentary on the scandal. But despite two meetings with Veterans Minister Al Carns, and more than 19,000 documents examined already, the review has no budget, no deadline, and no results.
The Mirror’s investigation has uncovered thousands of pages of evidence about blood and urine tests, testing data, and the names of servicemen ordered to take part in the experiments, on a secret database at the Atomic Weapons Establishment. They were classified as state secrets, with officials refusing access to veterans, relatives, and even lawyers. That database, along with misleading statements given to courts and Parliament, is now the subject of a police complaint. A £5bn civil lawsuit is also underway.
An anti-scandal law promised by Keir Starmer is expected to include “a huge carve-out” for matters of military and national security, which would enable public officials in those areas to lie without any criminal sanction.