LONDON, May 20 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
*
Aserviceof recognition, remembrance and reflection for theinfectedbloodcommunity will take place at St Paul's today, on the eve of the second anniversary of theInfectedBloodInquiry reporting.
*
Theservicehas been designed by theInfectedBloodMemorialCommittee in consultation with the wider community.
*
Theservicewill provide an opportunity torememberthe harms, losses, and trauma faced by the community and the loved ones who have been lost.
The thousands of individuals and families impacted by theInfectedBloodscandal will be honoured today (Tuesday, 19 May 2026) at anationalserviceof recognition, remembrance and reflection in St Paul's Cathedral.
Theservicehas been planned by theInfectedBloodMemorialCommittee, which is made up of members of theinfectedbloodcommunity, and will be attended by state representatives and community supporters.
TheMemorialCommittee has invited those it wishes to witness the impact of the scandal so that it may never be repeated.
The Prime Minister, The Rt HonSir Keir Starmer, said:
We stand with theinfectedbloodcommunity to bear witness to the lives lost and those changed forever. As a nation, we must ensure the lessons of this scandal are never forgotten.
I pay tribute to their extraordinary courage and dignity in their long fight for truth and justice, and extend my sincere thanks to theInfectedBloodMemorialCommittee for the care, compassion and dedication behind thisservice.
Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds, said:
For decades, theinfectedbloodcommunity fought with extraordinary courage to uncover the truth and thisserviceis about recognising the loss, trauma and harm faced by the community.
I would like to thank theInfectedBloodMemorialCommittee for the time and dedication that has gone into organising theservice. Their work on memorialisation, following the recommendations made by Sir Brian Langstaff, is vital to ensuring that this scandal is always remembered and its lessons never forgotten.
The Chair of theInfectedBloodMemorialCommittee, Clive Smith, said:
Today'sserviceat St Paul's is a long-overdue day for the contaminatedbloodcommunity.
For the first time, representatives of the state will stand together with the community in a moment ofnationalrecognition, remembrance and reflection. Today, werememberand bear witness to the thousands impacted by this scandal.
We honour those who are no longer with us, those who cannot be with us, and those who continue to ensure the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS is never repeated.
Theservicewill be livestreamed for members of the community who are unable to attend in person. Theservicehas been designed to be inclusive and interactive for the community.
Theservicewill include:
*
Symbolic empty chairs interspersed amongst the congregation to represent those no longer with us and those who are unable to be in attendance.
*
A reading of names, where the entire congregation will be asked to read out the first name of a person put forward to be remembered and honoured together.
*
A moment of silence as thousands of white, red and yellow petals fall from the Whispering Gallery.
*
A short address from Sir Brian Langstaff, Chair of the Inquiry.
*
Hymns chosen by the community, and over 50 volunteers will light candles in remembrance.
In addition to the St Paul's Cathedral Consort (choir), Michael Ball is expected to performEmpty Chairs at Empty Tables, and the London Contemporary Voices Choir, who sang at the close of the Inquiry, will sing Emeli Sande'sRead All About It.
Theserviceis about remembering the harms, losses, and trauma faced by the community, and making time for the community to come together torememberthe loved ones who have been lost.
As well as delivering the commemorative events recommended by the Inquiry, theInfectedBloodMemorialCommittee continues to work to establish anationalmemorial. The Committee is also committed to supportingInfectedBloodMemorials being built at Treloars School and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Committee expects to publish their first report in early 2027. This will set out the Committee's recommendations to the Minister for the Cabinet Office on the location and principles behind thenationalmemorial. These recommendations will be informed by their engagement with the community.
Tuesday, 19 May, marks the eve of the second anniversary of theInfectedBloodInquiry's full report. The Inquiry examined how men, women and children treated by theNationalHealthServiceacross the UK were giveninfectedbloodandbloodproducts from the 1970s onwards.
ENDS
Notes:
*
TheInfectedBloodInquiry, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, was set up in 2017 to examine the circumstances where men, women and children treated by thenationalhealth services in the UK were giveninfectedbloodandbloodproducts, in particular since the 1970s. This has become known as theinfectedblood, or contaminatedblood, scandal. This inquiry closed on 31st March 2026.
*
TheInfectedBloodMemorialCommittee has been established following the recommendations of Sir Brian Langstaff in theInfectedBloodInquiry Report in May 2024.
*
Recommendation 2 is "Recognising and remembering what happened to people". Recommendation 2 reads:
* 2a. A permanentmemorialbe established in the UK and consideration be given to memorials in each of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The nature of thememorial(s), their design and location should be determined by amemorialcommittee consisting of peopleinfectedand affected and representatives of the governments. It should be funded by the UK government.
* 2b. Amemorialbe established at public expense, dedicated specifically to the childreninfectedat Treloar's School. Thememorialshould be such as is agreed with those who were pupils at Treloar's.
* 2c. There should be at least three events, approximately six months apart, drawing together thoseinfectedand affected, the nature and timing of which should be determined by a working party as described above, facilitated by some central funding.
*
This recommendation has been accepted in full by the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. This recommendation is being taken forward on a UK-wide basis.
*
The funding for this is separate from the money allocated to pay compensation.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
