Britain's nuclear heroes have been promised a full and unequivocal apology by a future Labour Prime Minister.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry yesterday announced a manifesto pledge to give £50,000 to every survivor of Britain’s Cold War radiation experiments.
And afterwards she told the Mirror: “We need a Prime Minister at the despatch box not just making good on this commitment we’ve made, but issuing a formal apology to the nuclear test veterans and families on behalf of the whole country.”
It is the first time any frontbench politician has made such a promise to the survivors and relatives of 22,000 men who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests between 1952 and 1991.
And she called on the Tories and Lib Dems to match Labour’s promises.
Ms Thornberry said: “We’ve laid down the challenge to the other parties to match our commitment. I am happy to sit down with them and work on getting this into law.”
The speech at the Labour conference was watched live by 105 veterans in Weston-super-Mare.
Eric Barton, 77, of Worksop, was a 20-year-old sapper when he was ordered to help out at US tests on Christmas Island codenamed Operation Dominic.
His wife later had a miscarriage and he suffered bowel cancer.
Eric said: “I want all parties to take note of Labour’s great gesture and step up to the plate themselves. They need to pull their fingers out.”
After Christmas Island former navy chef Doug Hern lost all his teeth, developed bony spurs on his ribcage, and fathered two children.
One is bipolar and the other, Gilly, died aged 13 of a cancer more common in horses than humans.
Now 83, he said: “It’s a good thing Labour has done this and we hope everyone else will follow suit.
"When I look back now, my daughter was treated more like a medical specimen than a patient. Nothing can bring her back but this is long overdue.”
Ms Thornberry was among 50 cross-party MPs and peers who met campaigners last year, and work has been underway behind the scenes ever since to agree a £75m fund for the 1,500 veterans thought to still be alive.
She talked to Shirley Denson, whose husband Eric flew through the mushroom cloud and later killed himself, and Sandie Hern whose daughter Gilly died aged 13 of adrenal cancer.
Ms Thornberry said: “They impressed me with their fortitude. They are such impressive women, forces of nature. I will always remember meeting them, because their stories of struggling to raise their families through all of this really got me in the heart.”
The veterans have fought for 60 years for recognition, and successive governments have spent millions fighting every court case and pension claim.
Now Labour has promised not only “to give them security and comfort in their old age”, but to look at reforming the war pensions system so widows can benefit too.
It comes after a 35-year Mirror campaign, begun in the 1980s when veterans first realised their children were being born with 10 times the normal rate of birth defects.
Ms Thornberry told conference: “That was campaigning journalism at its best.”
A groundbreaking genetic study is underway at Brunel University investigating birth defects, and an official review into a medal was set up following massive support from Mirror readers.
It is due to consider their case before Christmas.
