Prime Minister Rishi Sunak describes the publication of the Blood Inquiry report as a 'day of shame' for the British state, adding the victims were failed in the 'most harrowing and devastating' ways. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 This is a day of shame for the British state.
00:02 Today's report shows a decades-long moral failure at the heart of our national life.
00:07 From the National Health Service to the Civil Service, to ministers and successive governments, at every level,
00:15 the people and institutions in which we place our trust
00:19 failed in the most harrowing and devastating way. This should have been avoided.
00:25 It was known these treatments were contaminated.
00:30 Warnings were ignored repeatedly.
00:32 Time and again, people in positions of power and trust had the chance to stop the transmission of those infections.
00:41 Time and again, they failed to do so. Today, I want to speak directly to the victims and their families,
00:50 some of whom are with us in the gallery.
00:53 I want to make a wholehearted and unequivocal apology
00:59 for this terrible injustice.
01:01 First,
01:03 first, to apologise for the failure in blood policy and blood products and the
01:08 devastating and so often fatal impact this had on so many lives. Second,
01:12 to apologise for the repeated failure of the state and our medical professionals to recognise the harm caused.
01:20 This includes the failure of previous payment schemes, the inadequate levels of funding made available and the failure to recognise
01:28 hepatitis B victims.
01:30 And third,
01:32 to apologise for the institutional refusal to face up to these failings and worse,
01:38 to deny and even attempt to cover them up.