Boris Johnson calls for rapid payments to infected blood victims

Victims of the infected blood scandal are being denied justice due to continued delays in compensation, Boris Johnson has warned.

The former Prime Minister said justice delayed was justice denied, as he called for payments to be resolved quickly following the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

During the 1970s and 1980s, thousands of people, including children, received pathogens from America and became infected with HIV and hepatitis C.

At least 30,000 people treated for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders have been infected and more than 3,000 have died.

The infected products came from American prisoners, sex workers and drug addicts, paid to donate blood to the makers of a product called factor VIII.

The Infected Blood Inquiry, which is due to publish its final report on May 20, delivered its latest report on compensation on April 5 last year, recommending interim payments of €100,000 to those affected.

Interim payments were made to victims and their spouses in 2022, but the 2023 report expanded this amount to also include victims' children and parents. The government has been given a deadline of the end of 2023 to make these payments.

It is estimated that around 2,000 people have yet to receive interim payments due to them under the report's recommendations. Nearly 100 people infected with hepatitis and HIV have died since the last report.

Justice delayed is justice denied

Yesterday Mr Johnson joined calls for urgent compensation to be paid to those affected by the scandal for which no organization or individual has been held to account.

I am pleased that the government has already accepted the compensation request, and that this issue should be resolved quickly, building on the interim measures already in place, he said. The process of bringing justice to the victims of this tragedy and their families has taken too long, and justice delayed is justice denied.

Mr Johnson signed off €100,000 payments to bereaved partners while he was prime minister in 2022, but other relatives received nothing.

His concerns were backed by Tainted Blood, the largest campaign group representing victims, who said a body to compensate victims must be created urgently and fairly, as proposed here is more than a year old Sir Brian Langstaff, chairman of the inquiry.

The group said this is expected to happen in the first half of this year. Andy Evans, president of Tainted Blood, said: “Many of our 1,800 members have waited decades since their diagnosis or that of their loved ones to get justice, and far too many have died waiting.

After refusing to act for so long, the government is now trying to reverse the proposals adopted by the House of Commons in its latest amendments from the Lords.

The IBI report is expected to expose the government's inaction and cover-up over the years. We need a full and honest apology from the government and adequate compensation to bring closure to so many who have suffered.

The support of six party leaders

Over the weekend, more than 180 politicians, including Mr Johnson, backed a Sunday Times campaign for justice for victims and their families. Politicians including Sadiq Khan, the Labor mayor of London, Andy Burnham, the Labor mayor of Manchester and six Westminster party leaders, have called for lump sums and support for victims.

They also demanded that the bereaved parents be eligible for compensation, overseen by an independent body headed by a judge, as well as a formal apology.

Victims also received support from Alan Bates, the campaigner who called for justice for aggrieved subpostmasters affected by the Post Office IT scandal. He told the Sunday Times: As with the Horizon scandal, the victims of this tragedy have already waited long enough for justice.

A government spokesperson said: This is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with everyone affected. We are clear that justice must be done for the victims and we have already accepted the moral arguments for compensation.

This covers an extremely complex set of issues, and it is right that we take full account of the needs of the community and the significant impact this scandal has had on their lives.

The Government will inform Parliament of the next steps through an oral statement within 25 sitting days of the publication of the final report of the inquiry.