Contaminated blood inquiry runs into trouble as victims boycott consultation

Ministers are working on a plan to rescue the troubled inquiry into contaminated blood after none of the victims of the scandal turned up to its first consultation meeting.

All the key campaign groups boycotted the meeting because of the involvement of the Department of Health. Survivors lack trust in the department and its officials after fighting for 30 years for an investigation into how contaminated blood transfusions infected thousands of people with hepatitis C and HIV.

No 10 said the Department of Health would work on setting up the inquiry jointly with the Cabinet Office, but officials are rethinking the plan after failing to get any engagement from survivors.

Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, spoke to Diana Johnson, a Labour MP and key campaigner for contaminated blood victims, to see if they could work out a way forward on Thursday.

However, the stalemate remains just a week after campaigners welcomed Theresa May’s pledge to hold an inquiry after such a long fight for an official investigation.

Johnson was granted an urgent question on the issue in the House of Commons on Thursday, telling MPs that the government had run roughshod over the wishes of victims by allowing the Department of Health to be involved in a UK-wide inquiry.

She compared the decision to allow the department to be involved in the inquiry to “asking South Yorkshire police to lead an inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster”, as she called for it to be fully independent.

Sharon Hodgson, the shadow public health minister, also called on ministers to “keep their promises, place the affected community genuinely at the centre of this inquiry, and ensure their views are taken seriously”.

In response, Jackie Doyle-Price, a health minister, said the government was “very much in listening mode” and no decisions had been made on who would lead the inquiry.

A Department of Health spokesperson said the government was “absolutely committed to a thorough and transparent inquiry”.

“To establish the best format and remit, we want to hear as many opinions as possible. Our door is open for anyone who wants to discuss the inquiry or raise any concerns,” the spokesman said.

The controversy follows previous criticism of the government for failing to gain the trust of survivors of child abuse and the Grenfell Tower fire while inquiries were being set up.

Survivors initially welcomed the announcement, while expressing frustration that the decades-long wait for answers had been so long. The contamination took place in the 1970s and 80s, and the government started paying those affected more than 25 years ago.