Keir Starmer has told his office to organise a meeting with Cold War heroes used in human radiation experiments
20:27, 13 Dec 2025
Keir Starmer will hold a summit with nuclear test veterans in the New Year to discuss how to end the 70-year Nuked Blood Scandal.
The PM has written to campaigners in person to acknowledge their "passion and persistence" after decades of fighting in the wilderness for justice.
It comes as the Atomic Weapons Establishment is beginning to declassify thousands of records about troops used in Cold War nuclear weapons tests, showing the true extent of official negligence and knowledge of the risks.
Around 40,000 British and Commonwealth troops took part in the atomic programme, and their families now bear a legacy of increased risk of cancer, 10 times the usual rate of birth defects, and treble the normal amount of miscarriages.
Starmer wrote to John Morris, 88, who worked in the laundry at Christmas Island in 1956 laundering the uniforms of scientists and pilots who had flown through the mushroom clouds.
John, of Rochdale, was later diagnosed with pernicious anaemia and lost his four-month-old son Steven to cot death. He and his wife Betty were wrongly arrested for his murder, and when the post-mortem was uncovered 60 years later it showed the baby could have died from a genetic lung deformity.
“I continue to hold in the highest regard the courage and resilience shown by you and your fellow veterans over so many years. I want to assure you that this matter is of utmost importance to me,” said Starmer in his letter.
“I am keen to listen and learn from your perspectives to ensure that the sacrifices of nuclear test veterans are recognised... I truly appreciate the passion and persistence you’ve shown in championing recognition.”
John said: “We met Starmer in 2021 during our campaign for a medal and I was struck by his genuine disgust at the appalling way we veterans have been treated.
"He told us ‘your campaign is our campaign’, but after more than a year in power with no real action I was beginning to think he would let us down like every other Prime Minister has."
He added: "I’m glad to see that’s not the case, and with other campaigners we will be asking him to honour his words, and find an alternative to long-winded legal cases which would put 90-year-old men through the wringer yet again.”
Three years ago the Mirror ’s investigation uncovered the first evidence of secret, widespread medical monitoring at the weapons trials, with results removed from personnel files. Some were found at the AWE behind national security, despite years of denials from government officials that anything was being hidden.
More than 28,000 files are now being published and Thames Valley Police is conducting a major crime review into allegations of misconduct in public office.