Do the right thing ..and meet us, PM
‘Sunak’s betrayal for failing to keep his promise to nuclear test veterans’
RISHI Sunak has been accused of a “betrayal” for refusing to meet victims of the nuked blood scandal.
Campaigners have asked the Prime Minister for a meeting 12 times in the 17 months since he took office, but the requests have been rejected or ignored.
Now veterans of the Cold War nuclear bomb tests are preparing to take the Ministry of Defence to court, claiming blood tests taken during the trials may prove they were irradiated, and are being illegally withheld.
John Morris – refused a war pension for a blood condition he got after serving during nuke weapons tests on Christmas Island in 1958 – said: “I remember the blood tests being taken, we’ve found the orders for them to be taken, but they are not in my files. The same is true for thousands of others. We can’t get compensation, justice or the right medical treatment without those results.
“Only the PM can order the MoD to cough them up. I would ask him politely to do the right thing.”
When he ran for office, Mr Sunak pledged support for a criminal probe into the blood tests, and he vowed to meet campaigners in 2022 after announcing a medal for veterans.
Alan Owen, founder of LABRATS, which represents the veterans, said: “We have asked him, his office and his closest advisers 12 times since then to arrange the meeting. We have had two replies, which both said he’s too busy.
“From a man who saw the relief the medal brought to families... who shook our hands for a photo, it is a blatant act of betrayal.”
Alan, whose dad served in the tests, added: “These men delivered the nuclear deterrent and they deserve better.”
Human rights lawyer Jason McCue, leading a fresh legal action by veterans, said: “It’s sad the PM will not sit down with these men. It is time we stopped treating our heroes as guinea pigs and started treating them like lions.”
The Mirror, which has campaigned for the nuclear veterans since 1983, uncovered the blood scandal in 2022.
The MoD has admitted holding documents on blood testing which it had denied existed. A ministerial review of the papers is due to report within weeks.
Families are preparing a High Court case, and have set up a crowdfunder. Visit www.crowdjustice.com/case/nuclear-veterans-case/ to donate.