The King's Speech and The Infected Blood Scandal: A Race Against Time

As the nation looks ahead to King Charles's speech on 7th November 2023, a web of anticipation, expectation, and a desperate need for justice interlinks an ongoing preventable tragedy: The Infected Blood Scandal. 

The significance of King Charles's speech cannot be overstated, especially given the comments of ministers to the Infected Blood Inquiry last month.

Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons, was first to raise the King's Speech as a potentially critical moment, during the Infected Blood Inquiry hearings last month, saying:

"although you are right to note that the King's Speech has not been written, these are matters that are being looked at by the current minister and their team, not me, and we have not reached that stage in Government, as Leader of the House of Commons I would anticipate that if future legislation were required for a compensation body or to proceed with that or any further work to facilitate that, that that would be happening. That is the narrow slice that I'm looking at this with my current job. But on both my experience in this job, with regard to the future legislation, and in dealings that I have had with the current minister, I do not think there is any delay to moving as quickly as we can on these matters, and it would be pointless to have set up this Inquiry and the study not to then proceed with making redress."

The Infected Blood Inquiry, announced in 2017, has achieved a commendable balance between thoroughness and timeliness. This autumn, a final report will shed light on the circumstances surrounding the infection of thousands in the UK with HIV and HCV through tainted blood products. Although an exact publication date remains unknown, the Inquiry's general position is beyond question, having already released recommendations on compensation earlier in April this year which concluded wrongs were done on multiple levels.

However, this dedication sharply contrasts the Government's inertia. It's now been months since the Inquiry's compensation recommendations were made public, yet, a full response from the Government remains conspicuous by its absence. This delay is not just bureaucratic sluggishness but has profound human implications, with victims and bereaved families continuing to lose their lives in the wait for justice.

The King's speech, now on the horizon for 7th November, complicates matters. As Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, pointed out, the specifics of the speech are still under wraps. However, this could be the platform where the Government, at last, signals its intentions concerning the Infected Blood Compensation System.

Jeremy Quin (Paymaster General) told the Inquiry:

"the positions on legislation tend to be made prior to and announced as part of the King's Speech, and then there is some time following that to put legislation in place. So that is one constraint in terms of timing "

He also spoke of alleged difficulties relating to timing:

"The King's Speech normally sets out the programme of Government for the forthcoming parliamentary term which, as the Leader of the House said yesterday, is the fourth parliamentary term and there's a lot to be done in that window.

There is -- it is usual for Government to set out its intentions via the King's Speech. It does not mean that the Government can't make commitments earlier if they choose to do so about what they would intend to put in the -- what they would wish to bring forward in the next session on Parliament. In terms of the time between now and the new session of Parliament, there is -- that is a relatively short period of parliamentary time. So there is a very narrow window between now and the expected date for the prorogation of this parliamentary session. So it is a very -- that would be a very narrow window to get legislation through"

Yet, there's a delicate dance of dates at play. The Government has, so far, held its stance of providing a comprehensive response to the Inquiry's recommendations only after the release of its final report. If the Inquiry doesn’t publish its final report before the King’s Speech, and in good time before, it could give the government a perfect excuse to delay action further.

However, with victims, campaigners, MPs and even the Inquiry itself emphasising the pressing need for the compensation system now, the message is clear: there's no need to await the Inquiry's final report.

The urgency is palpable. The dire consequences of further delay, immeasurable.