Action to fully compensate those affected by the infected blood scandal must start now - Diana Johnson

I joined the all-party group and have been very proud since then, with Glen, to fight for truth and justice, not just for him but for all those who have been infected and affected.

Of course, we did secure the public inquiry in 2017. Glen is still campaigning for justice despite his health problems, but I know that, as the years have dragged on, the need to keep fighting has exerted enormous pressure on him, his wife Alison and his wonderful family.

At this point, it is worth remembering all those family members and to pay tribute to those who have been caught up in this scandal. A few nights ago I could not sleep—it was very hot—and I ended up going online. I read the witness statement to the public inquiry by Nick Sainsbury, whom I had met through Glen and who lived in East Yorkshire. Nick attended the Lord Mayor Treloar College as a child and was one of dozens of children at the school infected with HIV and hepatitis through infected blood products. We know that 72 of those pupils later died.

After school, Nick worked as a civil servant and then at the Land Registry, which he said was his dream job, until his mid-30s when he became ill from multiple viral infections. He had to give up his job. He said: “It was just too much. I was going to work bent double on crutches.” I want to quote what he said about being HIV-positive in his statement to the inquiry: “The knowledge that I was infected with arguably the most feared infectious disease since the bubonic plague of the middle ages was hard enough to deal with. The constant reminders on TV and in the newspapers made it very grim.”

Nick campaigned for years for justice. He travelled to many meetings here in Parliament, and attended and contributed to the public inquiry. But just two months ago, Nick sadly died, never having seen justice.

I also want to mention Michele, who currently is not represented in Parliament by a Member of Parliament, but wanted me to raise her case. Michele Claire was given a contaminated blood transfusion following childbirth and consequently developed hepatitis C. She now has stage 6 liver disease. After people in her village found out about Michele’s infection, she received letters through her door saying things like, “We don’t want your type round here”. On compensation, Michele told me: “Money can cure nothing. It will, however, bring about some dignity and ensure peace of mind going forward.”

My message is this: it is time. Action to fully compensate those infected and affected by the contaminated blood scandal must start now. The Government has accepted that compensation should be paid and that there is a moral case to do so.

Adapted from a speech made by Dame Diana Johnson, Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull North, during a debate on the Infected Blood Inquiry in Parliament.