Ministers did not listen to infected blood victims, says UK inquiry chair

Brian Langstaff urges overhaul of compensation system, which report says was designed without consulting victims

Victims of the infected blood scandal have not been listened to" by ministers, the chair of the inquiry has said in a report urging an overhaul of the compensation system.

The additional report lays bare the failings of the government's detailed compensation scheme, and sets out recommendations to make it fairer and faster. In particular, it criticises ministers for designing the scheme without consulting the scandal's victims, as was recommended in the inquiry's May 2024 report, which it says has led to obvious injustices" that could have been avoided.