The Prime Minister and Chancellor will both appear at the Infected Blood Inquiry later in July - as inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff seeks answers about the Government's response to the contaminated blood scandal "and the question of compensation".
The shock new hearings were announced last week and will take place in the week commencing July 24. Penny Mordaunt - the current Leader of the House of Commons and former Cabinet Office minister will give evidence first, followed by her successor Jeremy Quin.
Department of Health and Social Care official Shona Dunn will also appear, before PM Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt give evidence on July 26 and July 28 respectively. The inquiry chair Sir Brian - a former High Court judge - made the shock decision to schedule further hearings at the end of June.
Read more: 'More victims will not live to see justice' - MPs slam delays to contaminated blood compensation
This came despite the Inquiry having formally closed its evidence-gathering earlier this year. However, this follows Sir Brian taking the unusual step of writing an interim report in April which recommended the Government pay full compensation "as soon as possible".
The contaminated blood scandal - understood as the NHS's biggest ever treatment disaster - saw thousands given blood transfusions or blood-based treatments containing lethal viruses including HIV and hepatitis C. Thousands died and continue to do so - with haemophiliacs who were given blood products to treat their chronic condition among the groups most predominantly impacted.
Jesmond's Carol Grayson has been campaigning for justice on this issue for more than three decades. Her husband Peter Longstaff and his brother Stephen both died after contracting HIV through blood products they were given to treat their haemophilia.
She said she welcomed the news that the PM will give evidence, saying compensation was "so long overdue". She added that following a previous independent report on compensation produced by Lord Archer more than a decade ago, campaigners were left "angry, totally disillusioned and seriously let down" when the Governnment failed to agree to compensation.
She said the "bill for compensation has grown and grown" over the years because the Government had refused to address evidence provided by campaigners such as herself and colleagues such as Colette Wintle. She said: "This is not campaigners' fault, the fault lies firmly with those who ignored us. Government must now act with speed and get compensation sorted as many within our community are in poor health and dying and do not have the time to wait."
