Pilgrimage to the truth

Tireless Scots campaigner says Sunak apology 'means nothing' unless £10bn is paid to victims

- VIVIENNE AITKEN

THE Scots campaigner who led the fight for justice in the UK’s biggest health scandal says Rishi Sunak’s apology means “nothing” until £10billion compensation is paid out to victims. 

Bruce Norval, 59, was one of 30,000 victims who were given contaminated blood or blood products by the NHS between 1970 and 1991.

He was infected when he was just three years old and has campaigned for decades to expose the truth.

He argued the risks were known about the possibility of hepatitis C and HIV being transmitted through blood products and there was a massive cover-up.

Yesterday, he was vindicated as Sir Brian Langstaff published his report into the UK’s Infected Blood scandal, saying it could have been avoided had warnings been heeded and patient safety put first. He also criticised a “subtle, pervasive and chilling” cover-up.

Bruce, who lives in the Black Isle, welcomed the report, calling it “a pilgrimage to the truth”.

He went to the House of Commons to hear Sunak apologise last night but said: “Apologies mean nothing without alleviating the horror and the hardship in daily life.

“We need to change people’s lives. We need to get them into houses that are suitable for their disability, we need to get people in a position where they can live the best lives they have left.”

The Government has accepted the case for compensation, with details expected today. Most estimates put the final bill in the region of £10billion.

Bruce said the figure was a conservative estimate and warned: “The announcement on compensation better not be without substance.”

The dad of two has been the driving force behind the inquiry.