NUKED BLOOD: Defence Secretary urged to investigate

Parliament has demanded answers aft the Mirror revealed elder Whitehall officials gave misleading tribunal statements astir aesculapian monitoring of Cold War troops

Allegations of an authoritative cover-up of atomic veterans' aesculapian records should beryllium urgently investigated, Parliament has been told.

A BBC documentary acceptable to aerial connected Wednesday has recovered documentary evidence that 4 authorities departments whitethorn beryllium progressive successful misleading repeated tribunal cases brought by the veterans implicit decades.

Their families assertion to person been near with a bequest of uncommon aesculapian conditions, miscarriages and commencement defects, which are highlighted successful the caller film.

As the Mirror revealed yesterday, immoderate of those progressive are known to beryllium elder Whitehall figures presently moving successful government, and veterans are demanding to conscionable Keir Starmer to contiguous their evidence.

Yesterday Defence Secretary John Healey was urged successful the House of Commons to instrumentality complaint of the Nuked Blood Scandal and analyse the claims.

Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey praised him for his erstwhile enactment of the atomic veterans but added: "He whitethorn beryllium acrophobic by a study successful the Daily Mirror contiguous that claims incorrect grounds and incomplete documentation was provided by civilian servants, and fixed to judges, successful repeated tribunal cases brought by atomic veterans implicit decades."

She added: "So tin the Secretary of State analyse these claims urgently, and study backmost to the House?"

Neither the Defence Secretary nor Veterans Minister Al Carns responded to the question. Instead inferior curate Maria Eagle was fixed the task of replying.

She said: "I tin guarantee the honourable woman that my honourable friend, the Minister for Veterans, has met with atomic trial veterans to found a caller narration to guarantee we person accordant and productive dialogue, and I cognize that he's committed to exploring the concerns raised astir entree to aesculapian records."

She added: "I americium definite that advancement volition beryllium capable to beryllium made."

The Mirror reported yesterday that authorities lawyers gave grounds nether oath to the High Court successful 2008 claiming troops were not medically monitored during the weapons programme. Declassified files besides showed Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence unit giving authoritative responses to a European Commission of Human Rights case, claiming nary aesculapian records were withheld connected the grounds of nationalist security.

Both assertions are present known to beryllium untrue, with 4,000 pages of records astir humor and urine tests uncovered astatine the Atomic Weapons Establishment wherever it was kept connected a concealed database. Lawyers acting for the veterans person warned the Prime Minister helium risks the ungraded reaching Downing Street if helium does not act.

* Britain's Nuclear Bomb Scandal: Our Story volition aerial connected BBC2 astatine 9pm connected Wednesday