Infected Blood Westminster Action Day: Round-Up
Following Monday night's successful vote in the house of commons, which saw New Clause 27 (NC27) added to the Victims & Prisoners bill, members of Factor 8 took to the streets of Westminster on Tuesday 5th December. It was a great turnout. Our message was clear: government action is needed now to establish the compensation body (Covered by NC27) and ensure all deceased victims are recognised by interim payment.
Some members were up first thing in the morning for a co-APPG parliamentary breakfast, where we met with MPs and shared stories about how the scandal had impacted people in different ways, emphasising the importance of both the previous nights vote and the work still to be done.
A few hours later, the protest began. Our first mission was to visit the various government departments involved in the scandal and delaying justice.
Next, victims and families headed to Downing Street, where we were met by a variety of MPs from parties across the board. Some MPs were already pre-registered to enter Downing Street with our two delegations, while others came simply to meet their constituents and show their support.
The two delegations of Factor 8 members and MP’s then delivered a letter to both No 10 & No 11 Downing Street.
Our protest and the delivery of letters to the Prime Minister and Chancellor, urging them to act on the Infected Blood Inquiry's final compensation recommendations, gained significant media attention and was broadcast on all the main national broadcasters.
Thank you to everyone who came out to support the protest and to all those who spoke, delivered letters, helped with logistics and played a part in making this day a real success. The fight goes on.
