Rishi Sunak apologises for UK's 'infected blood' scandal

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday apologised after Britain's state-funded National Health Service (NHS) was accused of cover up in an infected blood scandal dating back to the 1970s in a public inquiry report submitted to the government.

Speaking in the House of Commons hours after inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff delivered his scathing verdict on the issue, the British Indian leader said it was a day of shame for the British state after a catalogue of failures and attitude of denial documented in the inquiry fected with life-threatening viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis C while they were under NHS care between the 1970s and 1990s, with over 3,000 having died.

I find it almost impossible to comprehend how it would have felt...I want to make a whole-hearted and unequivocal apology, said Sunak, addressing the victims and their families, some of whom were in Parliament. “On behalf of this and every government stretching back to the 1970s, I am truly sorry,” he added, confirming compensation to all “whatever it costs”.