Labour MPs fear infected blood compensation scandal is ‘another fine mess’ that Starmer is leaving for Burnham to clear up

Labor MPs warn Keir Starmer will leave the infected blood compensation scheme as “another huge mess” for Andy Burnham to sort out.

The controversy comes as the government is due to prepare a statutory instrument (SI) this week that will allow the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) to pay compensation to victims and their families.

While MPs are largely happy with the £12.8bn allocated for compensation, there are fears about the way the regulations could make it harder for victims to access the funds.

There are allegations that the government is pursuing a policy of “divide and rule” by treating victims differently depending on their age.

A government source said Independent It is stated that the criticisms are “far from the truth”, but Labor Party MPs plan to voice their objections this week.

Mr Burnham himself expressed concerns about the divide-and-rule allegations.

The issue of infected blood is a subject close to his heart; Mr Burnham, who is now de facto prime minister, previously wrote to campaigners apologizing for not dealing with the issue when he was health minister in 2009. It is understood officials at the time mistakenly told him there was “nothing left to do” and he would later campaign for compensation.

But one member of parliament said: Independent He said the potential to change some regulations in the future was now an example of “another beautiful mess that Keir Starmer has left for Andy to sort out”.

There are echoes of anger in the row that Sir Keir left Mr Burnham with a £4.7bn black hole in the defense budget to fill.

The infected blood scandal is the worst treatment disaster in NHS history; Between the 1970s and the early 1990s, more than 30,000 people were infected with HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products and blood transfusions. More than 3,000 people are believed to have died as a result.

An inquiry chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff concluded in May 2024 that the disaster was largely preventable, citing serious corporate and government cover-ups involving, among others, former health secretary Lord Ken Clarke.

The government is close to finalizing the plan, but Labor MPs have voiced objections to the way the IBCA operates.

In May, Mr Burnham criticized the government for “drawing new dividing lines between people” over compensation for the infected blood scandal.

He claimed that the compensation rules involved a “divide and rule” tactic.

He added: “I know that new injustices have emerged in the last two years and that the fight must continue forever.

“They (the government) should make full amends for everyone, not draw new dividing lines between people, between parents whose children die under 18, and those over 18.”

His criticism comes after the Cabinet Office announced last month that bereaved parents whose infected children die under the age of 18 will receive a 50 per cent increased personal injury award “to recognize the profound impact of this loss”.

However, parents of children who die after turning 18 will not be able to benefit from this aid.

Clive Efford, another Labor MP who led the objections, said: Independent He said there would be no riots next week, but approved changes would be needed.

He said: “There are still concerns from certain quarters. Some relate to the IBCA and can be addressed by them without the need to change the regulations, while others require changes to the regulations to please campaigners. I will raise these concerns.”

He continued: “The government has established a mechanism for ongoing dialogue with the community, so I would urge them to listen to this process and make changes as we move forward.

“Once the regulations come into force, I expect the IBCA to increase the rate at which it completes cases for those affected.”

Mr Efford also highlighted how victims of hepatitis were discriminated against.

In a speech to the House of Commons last month he said: “The effect of interferon treatment for those infected with hepatitis needs to be given some space in the new regulations. Changes are limited to two years for financial loss and one year for care award.”

“The compensation scheme cannot continue to ignore the real-life impact on victims of long-term interferon treatment and the associated costs, which are far greater than the time-limited improvements the government proposes to introduce.”

He also raised widespread concerns about the threshold of evidence.

“There are concerns that the threshold of evidence will be too high and the Government should allow the IBCA to be more flexible and compassionate in assessing claims of psychological harm through the special category mechanism.

“Communities have consistently pointed out that the current scheme penalizes those who died before the compensation scheme came into force. The Paymaster General did not address this issue in his statement earlier this year. The compensation scheme must compensate the estates for the harm and losses suffered by those who died young, putting an end to such blatant injustice.”

Independent He demanded a response from the government.

A Government source responded: “This is far from the truth. The Labor government has ensured that the infected blood community gets the justice they deserve and the changes we made to the compensation scheme earlier this year based on their feedback show this.”