Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘Give nuke test vets cash and medical files’
No10 demand after medals honour
NUCLEAR veterans must be given compensation and their withheld medical files, No10 has been told.
Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer said Tuesday’s announcement of the Nuclear Test Medal was “the beginning of a programme for recognition”.
It came in the Plutonium Jubilee, 70 years after Britain’s first nuclear blast, and a 40year Mirror campaign.
PM Rishi Sunak told of the gong at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffs.
During the commemoration, Mr Mercer met veterans including Ed Mcgrath, who took part in tests in 1957’s Operation Antler at Maralinga in South Australia.
Yesterday in the Commons, Shadow Veterans Minister Rachel Hopkins led tributes from parties to campaigners.
She said nuclear veterans suffered a legacy of cancers and disease while their wives report three times more miscarriages and their kids have 10 times the normal rate of birth defects.
Ms Hopkins added: “This was the cost of our nation’s safety.”
The Tories, Labour, Plaid Cymru and SNP praised No10 for finally delivering the medal but also called for compensation and a public inquiry. Last week the Mirror revealed veterans had been denied access to blood and urine records taken during the tests.
Mr Mercer said: “The medal is one part of it but that’s not everything for everybody and I’m determined the Government will get its recognition of what these nuclear test veterans did right.”
He told veterans hit by illness to apply for a war pension but the MOD will not say how many have been refused.
In 2012, No10 was told that of 1,800 applications just 30 had been approved.