2026 - Injustice

Each new year brings hope that the Nuclear Community will finally receive the truth and justice they deserve. There have been many campaigners, many organisations who have fought the UK Government, and there has never been an apology or any financial redress. But is 2026 the year that changes?

Many people have fought hard for recognition for decades, and many of those are no longer with us. Incredible campaigners who will never see the UK Government apologise for their wrongdoings. We must always remember their dedication and commitment to the Nuclear Community.

I have been asked why I got involved in the community, and it was because of a meeting with Doug Hern in December 2012 at Baytree Garden Centre, when he was fundraising for the BNTVA. It is incredible to think that was 13 years ago. So much has happened during that time. This was Doug campaigning for the medal during the #lookmeintheeye campaign.

We are lucky in the UK to have three organisations that represent and look after the Nuclear Community: LABRATS, NCCF and BNTVA Museum. These organisations are working on behalf of the community on projects, and they are helping the community every day.

LABRATS has been running for 5 years; during that time, a lot has been accomplished. The NTV Medal has been awarded to over 5,300 families. We still campaign for full recognition, an apology, memorialisation, descendant research and compensation for the families.

The descendants have taken up the challenge from their fathers, Veterans supporting their children. These descendants are well educated, well researched and continue to work tirelessly because of their connection to the tests, despite their own health issues.

Is 2026 going to be the year? Will the UK Government ever admit to their failures to keep personnel safe during the tests? Some say it will never happen, that every veteran will be dead before they admit anything. I am more optimistic.

2026 brings with it a lot more information than we have ever had. With Susie Boniface's help and through the University of Liverpool and the Centre for People's Justice, the 28,000 documents being released from the Merlin database will be analysed. Many of these records have never been released before. They were stored in a highly classified database at the AWRE. An exciting project is underway with students analysing the documents.

'Our Planet, The People, My Blood' by Daniel Everitt-Lock will be released across the world, bringing our story to new audiences, showing the world the scale of the injustice.

The MOD's records review will be published, and we are hopeful that this full investigation, which has taken over a year to complete, will show just how many blood and urine tests were carried out and provide information on the orders that were issued. We do not have a release date for the report yet, but we will be working closely with the Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA) to ensure it is released as soon as possible.

Further documentaries are planned with 'Nucleus' from Melt

(https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/nucleus) and a new documentary from Jamie Sefton with Stronghold.

2025 has seen us lose more campaigners. Following our survey, the average age of a veteran is now 86, and we are running out of time. This was pointed out to the Veterans' Minister Louise Sandhers-Jones at our meeting in December. At LABRATS, all of our Directors have themselves suffered ill-health this year.

Our relationship with the OVA is strong, with regular meetings and continued collaboration. Our work across the world has brought together communities, including The Nuclear Truth Project and ICAN. Lots of events and collaborative working are already planned for 2026, with events running up to December 2026, which sees the TPNW Meeting at the United Nations in New York.

Our work within the academic sector has increased, with close links to the University of South Wales and the University of Liverpool. The Oral History project was an incredible piece of work by Dr Chris Hill and Dr Jon Hogg and their team.

(https://www.bl.uk/stories/blogs/posts/witnessing-the-nuclear-age) We will be continuing this work in 2026, expanding our Educational work and ensuring the LABRATS Academy is the first place people go to find out about the British Nuclear Testing program.

We are often disappointed with progress; it is not fast enough, the wheels of government turn very slowly, but I do believe that we can achieve our goals in 2026. This is because of the incredible work carried out over the past few years to force the release of information and the records review project. We need to stay positive; many people are working on behalf of the community, more than can be listed in this blog. More than I can disclose.

2026 is expected to see the introduction of the Hillsborough Law, which will bring with it a Duty of Candour, holding officials responsible for cover-ups for the first time legally. I want to thank Steve Purse for his work on the law and his continued efforts on the Communities and Candour exhibition.

Building relationships takes time, and we now have a worldwide network of affiliates who are helping us. The ICAN network has provided us with fantastic, knowledgeable contacts.

For everyone who has supported us in 2025, we thank you. It is an extremely difficult task to take on the establishment, but through hard work and collaboration with the OVA and the incredible support of MPs who have spoken on our behalf in Parliament, we can achieve our goals. We are thankful to GB News, the BBC and The Daily Mirror for their continued support. Below are some highlights of 2025.

It has been a difficult 2025 health-wise; we have all suffered from ill-health, and we have lost many veterans who will never see the justice they deserve. But we will continue to work on behalf of this very special community.

On behalf of the LABRATS Directors, thank you for your support, thank you for your incredible dedication to our cause. I made a promise to Doug that "I wouldn't let the b**tards win", and I will keep that promise. 2026 will be our year, trust me.

Alan Owen

Founder

LABRATS