RELATIVES of victims of the NHS infected blood scandal will hand in a letter to Downing Street on Monday to demand urgent action on full compensation.

The government is accused of dragging its heels over payments and ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt giving evidence to the infected blood inquiry this week.

Jason Evans, 33, was four years old when his father Jonathan, a 31-year-old carpenter from Coventry, died after being infected with hepatitis C and HIV.

Mr Evans, who leads the campaign group Factor 8, said that having to personally bring their concerns to Whitehall “totally compounds the trauma and grief” of the survivors and bereaved families who fought for an inquiry and have seen widespread recognition that compensation should be paid.

He said: “We know that 380 children were infected with HIV, many of those died in childhood, and their parents are now in their eighties.

“People are dying without seeing any acknowledgement.”

About 2,400 people died after being infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

The letter reminds Mr Sunak that, while he was running last year to become Tory leader, he said he would ensure the interim compensation payments recommended by inquiry chairman Sir Brian Langstaff are paid without delay.

It states: “This delay denies victims and their families any sense of tangible progress.

“Many continue to die without full redress, this can not be right.

“The interim payment for deaths not yet recognised is critical.

“These payments are not just about compensation, they symbolise acknowledgement and the represent initial recognition of each life lost.”