Andy Burnham said the Infected Blood Inquiry has 'rocked Whitehall to its foundations' and must bring about 'major' reform. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 I said a few weeks ago that this report would rock Whitehall to its foundations
00:05 and it should rock Whitehall to its foundations. I am pleased to see Sir
00:11 Brian confirm in my view what I said in my final speech to Parliament that this
00:16 was a criminal cover-up on an industrial scale. The criminal word is mine he just
00:20 says cover-up but I believe it is a criminal cover-up on an industrial scale.
00:24 I certainly would like to see prosecutions. There has to be full
00:28 accountability here for what happened alongside that full apology, a meaningful
00:34 apology and a full compensation scheme immediately. I think the blame rests
00:39 somewhere over there in the Treasury because I know that they have had a
00:45 sort of grip on this issue that no statements admitting liability could be
00:49 made by anybody because that was the view of the British state from the start
00:53 the kind of fear of financial exposure couldn't be allowed to be
00:59 opened up and that was the grip that they put on this from the
01:04 start and I think that explains why the line never changed over the years.
01:11 It's retraumatising, it's the original harm of the infection, the infection to
01:16 loved ones but then that retraumatising effect of being left in the wilderness
01:20 for all of those years shouting to be heard. It's just taken far far
01:27 too long for this day to come but actually it would have been quite
01:30 possible that this day never did come because the cover-up was so
01:34 orchestrated and was so strong but finally it's been broken but
01:40 coming out of it as I say Whitehall should be rocked to its foundations we
01:43 need major reform to the way this country is run because look at
01:48 the pattern here Hillsborough, post office, today infected blood, the
01:54 story is the same, the story is the same, a major wrong is done and then it's
02:00 covered up for decades and the victims are left in the wilderness. How many more
02:04 times are we going to allow this to happen to people? There must be a full
02:09 Hillsborough law put on the statute book with Sir Brian's recommendation of a
02:14 statutory duty of candour on all senior civil servants. It's
02:19 heartbreaking in one way just to see everybody there, honestly
02:26 the weariness on their faces but today some elation and the
02:31 weight lifted finally off their shoulders but they should never have
02:34 been in this position. If the country had a statutory duty of candour we would have
02:41 a situation where people tell the truth at the first time of asking and none of
02:44 this would have happened, it would have been corrected at the very
02:49 beginning but I just feel elated for them today because
02:55 finally their voice has been heard and Sir Brian magnificently has given the
03:00 community a voice but really should we ever be gathering like this
03:05 on a day like this.