04 December 2023 , 21:47
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Rishi Sunak has suffered a humiliating Commons defeat over calls for a new body to help victims of the infected blood scandal.
The Tory leader's majority was wiped out as MPs - including 23 of his own backbenchers - voted by 246-242 for a key amendment.
The amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill will establish a body for a full compensation scheme for thousands of patients infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.
The body will be chaired by a High Court Judge to oversee the payments of billions of pounds to victims and their relatives.
In total, 30 Tory MPs signed the amendment, including the former Cabinet Ministers David Davis and Sir Robert Buckland.
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It came as the Tory minister Edward Argar sought to placate Tory rebels saying the Government would bring forward its own amendment to the Bill. He said this would put in place timescales for a delivery body for compensation to victims of the scandal. He said the Government had already accepted the "moral case" for payments.
The Justice Minister told MPs: "The infected blood scandal should never have happened and my thoughts remain with those impacted by this appalling tragedy."
Dame Diana Johnson, who has campaigned on behalf of the victims, said the creation of the compensation body by the end of this year had been recommended by the chairman of the contaminated blood inquiry, Sir Brian Langstaff, a former High Court judge.
During the debate on Monday evening Dame Diana said: "I think it is important this evening that we show to the Government that the will of this Parliament across parties is that that body should be set up to administer compensation payments to start to deliver justice to those infected and affected by the contaminated blood scandal."
She said it was "disappointing" the government had imposed a three-line whip on Tory MPs to vote against the plans.
In a letter to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt informing him of Labour's support for the amendment, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said last week the scandal was "one of the most appalling tragedies in our country's recent history".
She wrote: "This week we have the opportunity to work together to begin to bring justice for the victims. Blood infected with Hepatitis C and HIV has stolen life, denied opportunities and harmed livelihoods."
"This is not a party political issue. All of us have a responsibility to act now to address this historic wrong. "That includes working together on a cross-party basis and with devolved governments to shape a final compensation scheme."