Infected blood inquiry: Rishi Sunak heckled as he fails to answer compensation questions
Rishi Sunak was heckled for failing to answer questions over delays to a full compensation scheme for victims of the NHS infected blood scandal.
The prime minister’s evidence to the infected blood inquiry was met with groans, jeers and even laughter from those listening.
The reaction prompted Sir Brian Langstaff, chair of the inquiry, to remind people watching Mr Sunak that there is a tradition of “respecting the witness”.
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Thousands of people died in what is widely recognised as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS after being given contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.
Campaigners want to see all those infected and affected paid compensation, as recommended by the inquiry chair, but the government has said it will wait for a full report into the scandal before deciding on the matter.
Mr Sunak recognised that the scandal is not just about “historic wrongs”, accepting that every four days someone dies as a result, with only an interim payments scheme for victims and bereaved partners set up so far, in October 2022.
However, he declined to give a timeframe for when the scheme might be widened to those whose children or parents died.
Asked by inquiry counsel Jenni Richards KC if he understands if justice delayed is justice denied, Mr Sunak said victims have been “let down for decades by successive governments”.
But the audience groaned and one person said “you don’t listen” when he appeared to distance himself over delays during his time in cabinet.
Mr Sunak faced questions over correspondence about preparing for the “inevitable” compensation scheme sent to him by Penny Mordaunt, then paymaster general, when he was chancellor in 2020.
Rishi Sunak gives evidence at infected blood inquiry
The prime minister said officials dealt with the inquiries.
Ms Richards asked: “Over three years and still no concrete compensation framework insights and no information about what it might look like. Is that good enough?”
The audience groaned as Mr Sunak answered: “Now, having not been at the time responsible for initiating this inquiry in 2018, 2017 when it was announced and determining its terms of reference, it’s hard for me to second guess the process that was envisaged at the time or what I would have done differently.”
There was also a round of laughter after he said “extensive” work across government had been undertaken so it can act as quickly as possible, adding “that work continues at pace”.
More laughter and groans came when the prime minister failed to say if the government has actions ready to go upon the conclusion of the inquiry after being asked several times.
Campaigners: ‘Our hearts are heavy’
The Infected Blood Inquiry was established in 2017 to examine how thousands of patients in the UK developed HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products.
About 2,900 people have since died.
Many had the blood-clotting disorder haemophilia and were given injections of the US product Factor VIII.
Read more:
Around 380 children infected with HIV through blood products in UK
Sir Brian has said an interim compensation scheme should be widened so more people – including orphaned children and parents who lost children – can be compensated.
He said in April he was taking the unusual step of making the recommendation ahead of the publication of the full report into the scandal so that victims would not face any more delays.
Following the PM’s evidence session, campaign group Factor 8 said: “Regrettably, the prime minister offered neither new information nor commitments to the victims and bereaved families of the Infected Blood Scandal.
“Despite our impassioned plea in the letter delivered to him on Monday, urging swift action in line with the inquiry’s recommendations, he did not take this golden opportunity to advance the cause of justice for victims and their families. Our hearts are heavy.”
Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, marks their 50th birthday amid a year of rising institutional and geopolitical adoption of the world’s first cryptocurrency.
The identity of Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in crypto, with speculation ranging from cryptographers like Adam Back and Nick Szabo to broader theories involving government intelligence agencies.
While Nakamoto’s identity remains anonymous, the Bitcoin (BTC) creator is believed to have turned 50 on April 5 based on details shared in the past.
According to archived data from his P2P Foundation profile, Nakamoto once claimed to be a 37-year-old man living in Japan and listed his birthdate as April 5, 1975.
Source: Web.archive.org
Nakamoto’s anonymity has played a vital role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network, which has no central authority or leadership.
The Bitcoin wallet associated with Nakamoto, which holds over 1 million BTC, has laid dormant for more than 16 years despite BTC rising from $0 to an all-time high above $109,000 in January.
Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland. Source: Cointelegraph
Nakamoto’s 50th birthday comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, marking the first major step toward integrating Bitcoin into the US financial system.
Related: Bitcoin at 16: From experiment to trillion-dollar asset
Nakamoto’s legacy: a “cornerstone of economic sovereignty”
“At 50, Nakamoto’s legacy is no longer just code; it’s a cornerstone of economic sovereignty,” according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental blockchain expert.
“Bitcoin’s reserve status signals trust in its scarcity and resilience,” Lian told Cointelegraph, adding:
“What’s fascinating is the timing. Fifty feels symbolic — half a century of life, mirrored by Bitcoin’s journey from a white paper to a trillion-dollar asset. Nakamoto’s vision of trustless, peer-to-peer money has outgrown its cypherpunk roots, entering the halls of power.”
However, lingering questions about Nakamoto remain unanswered, including whether they still hold the keys to their wallet, which is “a fortune now tied to US policy,” Lian said.
Related: Bitcoin’s next catalyst: End of $36T US debt ceiling suspension
Is Satoshi Nakamoto wealthier than Bill Gates?
In February, Arkham Intelligence published findings that attribute 1.096 million BTC — then valued at more than $108 billion — to Nakamoto. That would place him above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the global wealth rankings, according to data shared by Coinbase director Conor Grogan.
Satoshi’s new addresses. Source: Conor Grogan
If accurate, this would make Nakamoto the world’s 16th richest person.
Despite the growing interest in Nakamoto’s identity and holdings, his early decision to remain anonymous and inactive has helped preserve Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos — a principle that continues to define the cryptocurrency to this day.
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The United States stock market lost more in value over the April 4 trading day than the entire cryptocurrency market is worth, as fears over US President Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to ramp up.
On April 4, the US stock market lost $3.25 trillion — around $570 billion more than the entire crypto market’s $2.68 trillion valuation at the time of publication.
Nasdaq 100 is now “in a bear market”
Among the Magnificent-7 stocks, Tesla (TSLA) led the losses on the day with a 10.42% drop, followed by Nvidia (NVDA) down 7.36% and Apple (AAPL) falling 7.29%, according to TradingView data.
The significant decline across the board signals that the Nasdaq 100 is now “in a bear market” after falling 6% across the trading day, trading resource account The Kobeissi Letter said in an April 4 X post. This is the largest daily decline since March 16, 2020.
“US stocks have now erased a massive -$11 TRILLION since February 19 with recession odds ABOVE 60%,” it added. The Kobessi Letter said Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement was “historic” and if the tariffs continue, a recession will be “impossible to avoid.”
Source: Anthony Scaramucci
On April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing reciprocal tariffs on trading partners and a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries.
Trump said the reciprocal tariffs will be roughly half the rate US trading partners impose on American goods.
Related: Bitcoin bulls defend $80K support as ‘World War 3 of trade wars’ crushes US stocks
Meanwhile, the crypto industry has pointed out that while the stock market continues to decline, Bitcoin (BTC) remains stronger than most expected.
Crypto trader Plan Markus pointed out in an April 4 X post that while the entire stock market “is tanking,” Bitcoin is holding.
Source: Jeff Dorman
Even some crypto skeptics have pointed out the contrast between Bitcoin’s performance and the US stock market during the recent period of macro uncertainty.
Stock market commentator Dividend Hero told his 203,200 X followers that he has “hated on Bitcoin in the past, but seeing it not tank while the stock market does is very interesting to me.”
Meanwhile, technical trader Urkel said Bitcoin “doesn’t appear to care one bit about tariff wars and markets tanking.” Bitcoin is trading at $83,749 at the time of publication, down 0.16% over the past seven days, according to CoinMarketCap data.
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