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Royal British Legion supports nuclear veterans call for justice

Now the respected British Legion – the nation’s leading armed forces charity – has said it will put up £25,000 to pay for 17 veterans to fight the MoD at the tribunal.

THE ROYAL British Legion has pitted itself against the Government by backing veterans of British nuclear weapons tests who are seeking compensation from the Ministry of Defence. By joseph watts telegraph.co.uk 26 Sept 10, The veterans took part in the UK’s nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s in Australia and the South Pacific and say they now suffer health problems from being exposed to radiation.

About 1,000 – including some from Derbyshire – are fighting a court case to push the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to set up a compensation scheme for them – similar to ones the French and US governments have put in place for their nuclear veterans.But the MoD has consistently refused to pay out, claiming there is no evidence to show veterans’ ill health was caused by radiation.

Ministers also argue that if former servicemen want to fight decisions not to award compensation, they can appeal to the War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Tribunal.

But few nuclear test veterans have ever been successful at winning in the tribunal, with individual former servicemen lacking the financial or scientific clout to take on MoD lawyers there.

Now the respected British Legion – the nation’s leading armed forces charity – has said it will put up £25,000 to pay for 17 veterans to fight the MoD at the tribunal.

THE ROYAL British Legion has pitted itself against the Government by backing veterans of British nuclear weapons tests who are seeking compensation from the Ministry of Defence.

September 27, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, UK | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive