The victory is so welcome, so hard-won, so just that it almost entirely obscures the rotten, revolting truth lying underneath.
Rishi Sunak is finally offering weak apologies for the infected blood scandal and setting up the compensation scheme first recommended a year ago. But why is he only taking action now?
Heather Evans, whose husband Perry was one of the first victims to give evidence to the Infected Blood Inquiry, has an idea. “You know there’s a general election around the corner?” she says, pointedly.
It’s also worth noting that we are living in a post Mr Bates Vs The Post Office country. Sunak has had bitter experience of a similar miscarriage of justice coming back to bite him.
Rishi Sunak has apologised for the infected blood scandal and announced compensation (PRU/AFP via Getty Images)Heather and Perry met in 1985, two years after he had been diagnosed with HIV and Hepatitis C. A mild haemophiliac, Perry had been infected with contaminated blood. Doctors tried to warn Heather off, telling her that Perry probably had only a few years to live and would never be able to have children, but she would not be dissuaded.
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“You don’t just turn your back on someone you love because they are ill,” she told the Inquiry in 2019. Perry defied many odds, fathering a son and daughter, but battled ill health constantly for decades. In 2002 he was told he had HIV-related cancer, but he survived. In 2008 he was in a coma for 10 days, and not expected to live, but again somehow he survived.
Sadly, tragically Heather’s husband of 36 years, died five weeks ago aged 62. She brought a photo of Perry to Westminster’s Methodist Central Hall on Monday and put it on the seat next to her as chairman Sir Brian Langstaff delivered his report, gutted that her husband wasn’t there to see this moment for himself.
As Sir Brian paid tribute to Perry in his concluding remarks, there was an audible emotional reaction among the audience, which Heather put down to “the love and solidarity between the community, the inquiry has brought us all together”.
Despite all he faced, Perry did his absolute best to make the most of everything for his loved ones. Next April, Heather will go to see Peter Kaye live with tickets Perry bought her as part of what he called Showvember – spoiling her by booking shows he knew she’d love for her birthday month of November. “He faced huge difficulties, huge health crises, and rose above them time after time after time, so we’re still shocked that he’s gone,” she says.
The Government has announced that victims and their families will get interim compensation payments of £210,000 within 90 days. But Perry is still gone.
“Money’s not going to make any difference to that,” said Heather. While she is grateful and relieved about the outcome of the report – which confirmed governments both Tory and Labour are to blame, as are NHS managers and medics – she is also sceptical.
“I’m worried that everything’s too much politically driven rather than being authentic and making the right choice, and the right decision, for justice,” she explains.
Heather is one of many who want to know why Sunak’s announcement was not made a year ago. “The only change that’s happened in the last year is that now the politicians have just decided, ‘Oh now we’ll agree with the full report’. And yet in that year, so many people have died, including Perry.”
Rishi Sunak declared Monday “a day of shame” – a hollow understatement if ever there was one. He should hang his head that he has only acknowledged it now it’s in his interest to do so.
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