Lord Owen accused of broken promises over evidence relating to infected blood imports

A former MP has claimed Labour peer David Owen broke promises to provide campaigners with evidence that civil servants were continuing to import infected blood after various governments said it had ceased.

Lord Owen, who was appointed health minister in 1974 and had wanted the United Kingdom to become self-sufficient in blood products. Picture: Getty Images

Michael Connarty, former Labour MP for Linlithgow and Falkirk East, said Lord Owen had continually promised Alf Morris MP, chair of the all-party haemophilia group, that he would hand over the information which would form a vital part in getting a public inquiry into the scandal.

Morris, Labour MP for Manchester Wythenshawe and later Labour peer Lord Morris of Manchester, who died in 2012, led campaigns for successive governments to hold an inquiry for haemophiliacs infected by contaminated NHS blood products imported from sources such as prisons in the US.

Thousands of people were left infected with conditions such as HIV and hepatitis C in the 1970s to the early 1990s.

Connarty, who campaigned for constituents given infected blood, commented after it emerged earlier this month that hundreds of blood contamination files taken out by civil servants had been lost.

“David Owen kept promising that he would reveal all,” Connarty said.

“There should have been a public inquiry while Owen was in office. He claimed he had the evidence but never put it in the public domain, Alf Morris told me. David Owen promised to give him the evidence. The whole thing was a total betrayal, particularly to Alf.”

Owen, who was appointed health minister in 1974 and had wanted the United Kingdom to become self-sufficient in blood products, denied the claim saying: “Alf Morris and I were good friends over many years and he knew everything I know on the contaminated blood question. I gave published oral and written evidence to the Archer Inquiry which he was instrumental in establishing and which I strongly supported.

“I have recently given what documents I have in my possession to the new government inquiry and also referred them to my archives at Liverpool University.

“But that does not include the documents from my period as minister of health, from 1974-76, since they have long since been pulped by the department without any consultation with me.

“As to the present government inquiry, if they wish I will give oral evidence to them and if Michael Connarty wishes no doubt he can do the same.”

However, Jason Evans, founder of Factor 8, the independent haemophilia group, said:

“Although I can only speculate on Michael Connarty’s motivations for making the comments he did, I do wish to share my opinion with you that this article has deeply troubled our community because Lord Owen has campaigned for Truth and Justice for Haemophiliacs and their families for decades.

“He has provided assistance to Inquiries, participated in many interviews and documentaries on the subject and delivered a very candid speech on the issue at an event I organised in 2016 which did untold good for the campaign, the speech was subsequently quoted many times in the Commons, Lords and Press, it had a major part to play in the eventual obtaining of a public inquiry.”

The UK Infected Blood Inquiry, examining the issues behind the scandal, will take witness statements in April.