Government Defeated in Parliament Over Infected Blood Scandal Compensation Scheme

The government has suffered its first defeat in the House of Commons on a whipped vote since the general election in 2019, after 22 Conservative MPs rebelled over the infected blood scandal. The vote on an amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill was held late on Monday. The amendment, tabled by Labour MP Dame Diana Johnson, moved to speed up compensation for victims of the NHS infected blood scandal in the 1970s and 1980s. It also proposed the government sets up a body to implement the compensation scheme within three months of a new bill becoming law. The voting record showed that the bill was passed by 246 votes to 242, in a clear defeat to the Conservative party, which overwhelmingly voted against it. However, the 22 Tory votes, backing the amendment, tipped the scales....