Government Defeated in Parliament Over Infected Blood Scandal Compensation Scheme

Thousands in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses through the use of contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

A hospital in the United Kingdom in an undated file photo. PA

The government has suffered its first defeat in the House of Commons on a whipped vote since the general election in 2019, after 22 Conservative MPs rebelled over the infected blood scandal.

The vote on an amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill was held late on Monday. The amendment, tabled by Labour MP Dame Diana Johnson, moved to speed up compensation for victims of the NHS infected blood scandal in the 1970s and 1980s.