Former UK minister accuses Ministry of Defence of withholding nuclear test veterans' medical records

A former UK veterans minister has accused the Ministry of Defence of deliberately withholding information about the medical records of Cold War nuclear test veterans. Tobias Ellwood said the issue concerns records linked to the United Kingdom's nuclear testing programme, which ran from 1952 to 1967. He told BBC Newsnight that information he had previously given to Parliament, based on ministry briefings, was now, in his words, "a complete lie".

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Ellwood said he now believes ministers were briefed over the years to say there was no evidence that could help nuclear test veterans. He alleged that this approach was used to delay disclosure until veterans had died. The former junior defence minister, who served between June 2017 and July 2019, said the ministry had "deliberately withheld" information about the programme.

Veterans have long sought the release of their medical histories, arguing that blood and urine test results could help them show that exposure to nuclear tests damaged their health. The dispute centres on a programme in which as many as 25,000 members of the armed services, scientists and civilians took part between 1952 and 1967. The tests were carried out at sites including Australia and several islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Veterans have claimed the programme caused severe lifelong health problems, including cancers of the liver, bone, bowel, skin and brain, as well as leukaemia, heart disease, stillbirths and birth defects affecting later generations. The allegations have made the records issue significant not only for historical accountability, but also for possible health and legal claims. The ministry said the government had carried out an extensive records discovery exercise to address questions about the programme, and that its findings had been published in full.

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It also said it had examined tens of thousands of documents about blood and urine testing policies during the nuclear testing programme. According to the ministry, the work followed regular engagement between ministers and veterans, and the department has already released five reports since promising a comprehensive examination in 2024. The ministry has also said that record-keeping was affected by factors including the lack of a centralised approach and high levels of Cold War secrecy.

The row adds to a long-running campaign by veterans and their families for recognition and access to evidence they say could support claims of exposure-related harm. It also raises questions about how much the government knew, when it knew it, and how information was handled across successive administrations. For veterans, the issue is tied to both medical proof and public acknowledgement of service-related risk.

For the government, it is a test of transparency over one of the most sensitive parts of Britain's nuclear history. What remains unclear is whether any further records will be released, and whether the latest allegations will lead to a fresh review of how the ministry handled the issue. It is also not clear how the claims will affect ongoing veterans' campaigning or any future legal or policy response.

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