Infected blood victims and families urge UK government to drop defence

Exclusive: Claimants say government can no longer defend treatment disaster in light of inquiry's damning interim report

More than 500 people taking the government to court over the contaminated blood scandal are urging it to concede the case in light of evidence heard by a public inquiry and an interim report produced by its chair.

The claim, which began in 2017 but was stayed pending the inquiry into what has been described as the biggest treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, alleges the Department of Health - now the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - breached a duty to take reasonable care to prevent personal injury or loss, amounting to misfeasance in public office.