Nuclear test veterans finally given hope of compensation - but there's a catch

Andy Burnham has long supported nuclear test veterans, saying in 2022 they were owed "justice, reparation and accountability".

Some 40,000 UK and Commonwealth troops took part in hundreds of weapon tests and radioactive experiments without protective equipment throughout the 1950s and 60s.

The veterans and their families have suffered serious and lifelong illnesses as a result of their exposure.

Research has shown higher rates of cancer, blood conditions, birth defects, miscarriage and suicides in those who were tested upon.

Medical records, including blood and urine tests gathered before and after trials, were confirmed to be lost or destroyed in a report in July after years of denials they even existed from ministers.

A source close to the Defence Secretary told The Times: "Wes and the Prime Minister feel very strongly about this and have been working together on it since they came into office.

"They're determined to make progress as quickly as possible."

Mr Burnham has been "asking what we’re doing about this every day", two Whitehall sources told the paper.

The Ministry of Defence is now considering different options for payouts - such as if they should be only to the around 2,000 survivors - or to the remaining families of those who have died.

A compensation scheme established by Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and extended by Donald Trump granted a lump sum to veterans, their widows, or split equally between any surviving children.

Some British servicemen who took part in US weapons testing have qualified for the payout but still have not received any compensation from their own Government.

John Morris, a veteran from Rochdale, served in the laundry at Christmas Island when he was just 18, witnessing four hydrogen bomb blasts while serving.

He would later suffer from cancer, a radiogenic blood condition and lost his son Steven at just four months to a lung defect.

He had been denied a war pension because he did not enter ground zero, but a report uncovered this year revealed nuclear fallout in the main camp.

"Any offer wouldn't be enough for the sacrifice and trauma of 40,000 families, but a pound a day for a lifetime of lies is an insult," he said.

"The MoD hasn't even had the guts to ask veterans what its viciousness has cost us.

"We want the truth and this just shows we'll never get justice out of the MoD. The only way forward is for veterans and widows to sit down with Andy Burnham and tell him what we need."

Veterans have also called for a special "judge-led" tribunal to allow surviving veterans to be called as witnesses independent from the MoD.

Founder of nuclear test veterans campaign group LABRATS International Alan Owen previously told GB News: "It was really disappointing when we met Calvin Bailey to read the missing medical records, and he told us they were not publishing recommendations because there's a new administration coming in, so any new policy would have to be agreed by them. Basically, using that as an excuse to not publish them.

"Well, Andy Burnham's in place now, and he can see those recommendations, because they've already been done."

An MoD spokesman previously said: "We recognise the significant contribution that nuclear test veterans have and continue to make to our security.

"We will continue to engage with the community in an open, constructive and transparent way to understand their experiences and hear concerns.

"Any veteran who has suffered ill health from their service can claim compensation through the War Pensions Scheme."