BBC Newsnight
- Invisible Enemy
- Jun 24
- 4 min read
Last night, Al Carns (ex Minister for Veterans' and People and ex Armed Forces Minister) appeared on BBC Newsnight.
Al and John Healey instigated the records review into the missing medical records and the orders for blood and urine tests, which were hidden away on the Merlin database under national security.
The MOD and Ministers have consistently lied about the existence of these blood tests for decades; these have been officially recorded in Hansard and are of public record. This must be corrected and an apology given.
A small group of LABRATS representatives have been working for 7 months with the Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA) on the publication of this report.
When Al was Minister for Veterans' & People, he pushed hard for this report. He met with AWRE Officials and Historical Branches to make sure that the report was undertaken thoroughly and properly. We met with him a few times to discuss the report, but unfortunately, he was moved to the Armed Forces Minister role before the report could be finished.
Louise Sandher-Jones took over and continued the work of Al, and the small group of representatives and MP's met with her to discuss the initial findings at the end of last year. This led to weekly meetings with the OVA to work through recommendations and to ensure that the community was represented.
The report is overdue, 6 months overdue, and we now have a new Minister for Veterans' & People, Calvin Bailey. The same LABRATS representatives met with him last week to discuss the report and its publication.
It is slow progress as with all reviews, reports and government documents. We were due to see the report at the end of April, but a legal issue stopped that meeting from happening.
The details of the discussions are confidential, and the trust that you have put in us as a community to deliver some justice for the community has meant that we have built a very good working relationship with the OVA and the Ministers who have taken up the role since the Labour Party came into power.
Sir Keir Starmer promised a meeting with us last year, but we wanted the report to be finished, with the recommendations agreed, so that we could ensure that he gave it his full support. Unfortunately, he has made the decision to resign, and with summer recess on 23 days away, it is doubtful that he will keep his promise.
However, we are not giving up on getting this report published before the summer recess and on implementing the recommendations. We are in daily contact with the Prime Minister's Office, the Minister for Veterans' & People, the Defence Secretary and the Office for Veterans' Affairs.
If the report is not published, we will look to the new Prime Minister to ensure that it is published in September and if (as it looks like) it will be Andy Burnham, we have a supporter as PM. He has been very vocal in his support to end the scandal and implement the Hillsborough Law.
I know that many veterans and their families will say that we have been here before, and as soon as they become Prime Minister, their support ends. So many promises from successive governments, and they are right. Sir Keir Starmer promised so much and didn't deliver.
But we must remember that we have supporters within the UK Government, supporters who have spoken up for us over many years and continue to do so. Al was one of those supporters.
We have moved on so much from the medal award, so much more information is now available, including the Merlin database release, the Whistleblower report, the Thames Valley Police investigation, and the Missing Medical Records report.
We are still not over the line. The MOD must acknowledge that they covered up the blood tests, that they hid records behind national security to protect them, and that they kept a report in draft format so it could be exempt from Freedom of Information enquiries.
We must continue to work closely with the government, bringing them to account, but we must be professional; alienating the people who are working on our behalf is not beneficial.
We are nearing the report's publication; it is finished and awaiting Ministerial approval. We hope that we will see the report in the next few weeks and that Keir Starmer will honour his promises and meet with us. If he doesn't, then we will continue with the next person.
We have lost many veterans this year, more than any other year that I can remember. I emphasise this point every time we meet with a Minister.
In relation to Al Carns' comments relating to the LGBT compensation, he was referring to how the scheme is implemented. He was not comparing the two. The LGBT scheme was implemented quickly, but it was not advertised widely; that would be our role for the Nuclear Community when a scheme is introduced.
We always told the OVA that any financial redress scheme should be for every Nuclear Test Veteran and their families, be available for a widow or family member if the Veteran has passed away and not be based on illness. Participation in the tests is the only requirement. We have also discussed a memorial, education, and descendant research as part of any redress scheme.
The representatives are working hard on behalf of the community; lots happen every day, it is frustrating, it is difficult, but we remain resolute. Please be assured that we are doing everything possible to end this scandal. Our community is unique and has been gaslighted by the UK Government for 74 years. It must end.
Alan and two nuclear test veterans will be appearing on BBC Newsnight on the 24th June 2026 to discuss the change of PM and the implications for the community.
Comments