A former defence minister, Tobias Ellwood, has admitted to misleading parliament in 2018 regarding crucial medical records for nuclear bomb test veterans. Mr Ellwood stated he unwittingly provided MPs with incorrect information after being supplied with it by Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials.
In 2018, Mr Ellwood informed parliament that the MoD was "unable to locate any information" suggesting blood samples had been taken for radiological monitoring during nuclear bomb tests. He now states that these samples were taken across armed services branches, but veterans seeking compensation for illnesses developed after radiation exposure have been unable to access them.
Mr Ellwood described the situation as "among the greatest scandals in Britain." An MoD spokesperson confirmed that the government commissioned and completed an extensive records discovery exercise, examining tens of thousands of documents, and the findings have now been published in full.
Between 1952 and 1967, approximately 22,000 British military personnel participated in 45 large-scale nuclear weapons tests. Many later reported suffering blood disorders and cancers, which they believe were caused by exposure to radioactive fallout.