The UK government is exploring a compensation scheme for veterans who participated in the country’s nuclear weapons testing programs during the mid-20th century. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting is reviewing proposals that could offer affected troops payments of £30,000 each, though previous Labour Party commitments had suggested £50,000.

Between 1952 and 1967, approximately 40,000 British and Commonwealth service members were involved in 45 nuclear tests and 600 radioactive experiments conducted in locations including Australia and the Pacific. Additionally, UK personnel supported monitoring activities of foreign nuclear tests up until 1980.

Concerns have been raised over the loss of medical records, such as blood and urine samples collected before and after these tests, fueling allegations that veterans were subjected to unsafe conditions without adequate protection or proper informed consent. The earliest documented blood testing linked to nuclear exposure dates back to 1949 in the Solent, where sailors took part in experiments ahead of Britain’s first atomic bomb detonation.

Academic studies have reported that veterans of these trials face significantly higher incidences of cancer, blood disorders, suicide, miscarriages, and birth defects compared to the general population. Survivors and advocates have labeled the government’s past handling of the issue as a sustained cover-up, underscoring calls for timely action while affected individuals remain alive.

Streeting is reportedly considering various approaches for disbursing compensation, including whether payments should be limited to the roughly 2,000 surviving veterans or extended to their widows and families. Comparisons have been drawn with the United States’ compensation policies, which were established under President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and expanded under President Donald Trump. The US system provides lump sum payments that can be claimed by veterans or their surviving spouses, with provisions to divide funds among children if the veteran has passed away.

Government officials, including Streeting and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, are said to be actively engaged in efforts to resolve the matter. Labour politician Andy Burnham, a longstanding advocate for the nuclear test veterans, has emphasized the urgency of addressing what he described as “the greatest scandal of them all.” The discussions aim to recognize and redress the harms experienced by those who served during the UK’s nuclear testing era.