A volunteer for the charity Hepatitis C Trust has said its helpline received more than 2,000 calls within an hour of speaking to BBC Breakfast.

Returning to the programme more than a week later, Robert Ellinor explained earlier that 2,000 requests is "normal for one month in the NHS" and that by now the charity have had more than 20,000.

"We've had huge numbers of calls, trying to take care of people and their emotions and their emotional wellbeing."

He was infected with hepatitis C in 1973 and explained that his work on the health line is his way of "dealing with it".

As we've been reporting, Paymaster General and Cabinet Office minister John Glen will be addressing the House of Commons later today.

At lunchtime, he will be outlining the government's plans to compensate the victims of the scandal and their families.

Labour will have the opportunity to respond and MPs will be able to ask questions.

We'll be bringing you all the latest lines from the Commons as they come in.

Former health minister Ken Clarke's role in the scandal is under the spotlight following the release of the report.

In 1983, Clarke said there was "no conclusive proof" that Aids was being transmitted in blood products. That line would be repeated in the years to come.

The inquiry's report, published yesterday, found that this "whilst technically correct, was indefensible. It did not spell out the real risk. It gave false reassurance".

"It lacked candour and, by not telling the whole truth, was misleading," chairman Sir Brian Langstaff wrote.

The revelations in yesterday's report have led to debate now surrounding Clarke's position in the House of Lords.

Asked whether he should lose his peerage, work and pensions minister Mel Stride told Sky News it was a matter for the forfeiture committee - which decides if people should be stripped of their honours - rather than the government.

Image source, .

Our colleagues over at BBC Newscast have done a deep dive into the infected blood inquiry report.

Dissecting the report alongside podcast host Adam Fleming is BBC political editor Chris Mason and Jim Reed, BBC health reporter, as well as Carly Bayford, whose father was a victim of the scandal.

• You can listen to the episode here.

Sam Ferguson
BBC Wales Investigates

When 10-month-old Colin Smith contracted HIV after receiving contaminated blood, his parents' house was daubed with "Aids dead".

His father was also forced to leave his job. Now 34 years on from his death from aids at the age of seven, his family are facing another injustice.

A BBC investigation has found Prof Arthur Bloom, the doctor who gave Colin infected imported blood product Factor VIII, broke his own rules to do so.

Just three months earlier, Prof Bloom's own department had written internal NHS guidelines discouraging the use of imported blood treatments on children because of the risk of infection.

"This wasn't an accident," said Colin's father, also called Colin. "It could have been avoided."

His son, who was being treated for haemophilia - a rare condition , externalthat affects the blood's ability to clot - was one of more than 3,000 people to die in the UK after being given infected blood products.

To see more of Colin's story, watch Blood Money on BBC iPlayer.

Norman Revill, who was infected with hepatitis C during a blood transfusion he had in 1983, has been speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live.

It was only in 1991 when he decided to donate blood that he discovered he had the disease.

"I got a telephone call at half past seven in the morning saying we'd like you to come and go to the Sheffield Blood Transfusion Centre," he says.

He adds that on arrival he was greeted by a doctor, a wheelchair and three nurses, who "interrogated" him by asking if he had taken intravenous drugs, had any tattoos or piercings, or if he was gay.

The NHS started routinely screening for hepatitis C in 1991.

Norman says he "dodged a bullet" because he's still alive, adding that compensation couldn't bring back loved ones families have lost to the infected blood scandal.

We will be hearing a lot from politicians about compensation for victims later today, so this morning the BBC has been sharing some of the stories of people affected.

Yesterday at the inquiry many of the victims, including the loved ones of the around 3,000 people who have died so far, came together for its conclusion. Some 30,000 were given contaminated products in total.

David Abdo, whose father died after having a blood transfusion, told the BBC News Channel it felt like "you're not alone".

“Being in a place yesterday where there was so much emotion, people being in the same position, just brought to life exactly all the feelings I’ve had these past thirty years, and it was emotional.”

Roger Newman, a haemophiliac who discovered he was infected with HIV and hepatitis C as a teenager, says yesterday was a "poignant day".

"We were also all so aware of so many that couldn't be there because they were either too ill or already passed away, so it was a very, very poignant day."

He added that he was having therapy and that money would "never compensate for the damage that's been done".

Sarah Westoby, a solicitor representing about 300 people affected by the infected blood scandal, says the compensation announced by the government yesterday needs to be delivered "swiftly" and be "really carefully thought out".

"Some people have had compensation, some haven't received a penny, so we would really like to see careful consideration for those who haven't received anything," she says.

Speaking on the BBC News Channel earlier, Westoby says those infected after 1991 or people infected with hepatitis B haven't received any compensation.

The prime minister will not be drawn into providing detail on the compensation scheme, saying he will wait for the statement by minister John Glen in the Commons later.

"People, I hope, can see that there has been an enormous amount of work that has been going on over the past few months and year to make sure that we are in a position to now move as quickly as possible," he tells reporters in Vienna.

When asked if there should be criminal prosecutions, Sunak says there must be "justice and accountability" where there is "evidence of wrongdoing", but the government will now "take the time to go through it properly and rigorously" before responding in Parliament.

Image source, Reuters

The victims of the infected blood scandal have "waited an incredibly long time for justice and the truth," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says.

Speaking from Vienna, where he is visiting for talks on migration, Sunak says everyone impacted by the scandal has fought "under considerable pressure facing prejudice over many decades".

It was a "failure on multiple levels", he says, repeating what he said yesterday – that it was a "day of shame for the British state".

"Anyone reading the report will have found it harrowing, indeed devastating," he adds, and says that he is glad that the voices of victims could be heard yesterday, and that they received the apology they rightly deserve.

Here's what some of the key players have said about the report's findings:

• Sir Brian Langstaff, who chaired the inquiry, has described the scale of the scandal as "horrifying"
• Rishi Sunak has said the government will pay "whatever it takes" to compensate the victims (the government is reportedly earmarking around £10bn)
• He has offered a "whole-hearted apology" to those affected
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also apologised, saying his party will "work with" the prime minister to get compensation sorted swiftly
• There has also been an apology from Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey on behalf of his party, while the SNP's Stephen Flynn has praised the "determination and desire" of campaigners
• NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard has also apologised, saying tens of thousands of people have been "badly let down"

Whilst we wait to hear from Rishi Sunak, here is a timeline of the scandal:

• In the 1970s, new treatments made from donated human plasma were developed to replace the missing clotting agents in haemophiliacs. They were called Factor VIII and Factor IX.
• The government allocated funds in 1975 to ensure the UK would become self-sufficient in blood products
• But, by 1978, the UK was still not self-sufficient in producing these products so the NHS had to source around half of its supply from overseas, including the US
• Between 1970 and 1991, a second group of patients received blood transfusions after childbirth, surgery or other medical treatment
• In 1982, the first paper warning of the danger of contracting HIV and aids from infected blood was published
• In 1985, the UK began screening blood donations for HIV. By the end of 1985, all Factor VIII products were heat treated to kill the virus
• In September 1991, routine screening for hepatitis C in UK blood donations was introduced, 18 months after the virus was first identified in a laboratory

We will shortly be bringing you some new lines from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Sunak is in Vienna today and is expected to be asked about the infected blood inquiry when he faces the media this morning.

Stick with us as we bring you updates as they happen.

If you missed yesterday's coverage, or want a reminder, here are some of the key findings from the inquiry's final report:

• The scandal could and should have largely been avoided, with victims being failed "not once but repeatedly" by doctors, the government and other bodies including the NHS
• Authorities covered up the scandal and exposed victims to "unacceptable risks"
• Those risks included not doing enough to stop importing blood products from abroad, such as from high-risk donors in the US where prisoners and drug addicts were paid to give blood
• Blood donations were also continually sourced from high-risk populations in the UK, such as prisoners, until 1986
• It took until the end of 1985 to heat-treat blood products to eliminate HIV despite the risks being known since 1982
• More testing could have been done to reduce the risk of hepatitis C from the 1970s onwards

Image source, PA Media

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to pay "whatever it takes" in compensation to victims of the infected blood scandal.

The cost could run into billions of pounds. But many of the campaigners - and indeed the chair of the public inquiry himself, Sir Brian Langstaff - are wondering why it has not been paid already.

Sir Brian has published two interim reports - one in 2022 and one in 2023 - and made it clear compensation should be paid immediately.

Victims were suffering and dying so they could not afford to wait, he argued.

The government has paid some interim compensation £100,000 each to 4,000 victims and families.

But that will be dwarfed by the payments that will be announced later.

James Gregory
Live reporter

Welcome back to our live coverage following yesterday's publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry's report.

Today, the government will be announcing how it plans to compensate the victims of the scandal. Ministers have reportedly earmarked around £10bn for the scheme.

In a few hours, we're expecting to hear from Cabinet Office minister John Glen. He will be setting out the details of the compensation scheme in a statement to the House of Commons at around 12:30 BST.

We'll also shortly be hearing from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

A reminder, around 30,000 people contracted either HIV or hepatitis through contaminated blood, mainly in the 1970s and 1980s. Around 3,000 have died.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest lines throughout the day.

We are pausing our live page for the moment. Thank you for following our coverage of the Infected Blood Inquiry's report.

• You can read the infected blood inquiry's key findings here
• For more details on the scandal and when victims will get compensation, you can read analysis from our health reporter Jim Reed, here
• And to read the government's response to today's report, click here

This page was written by Cachella Smith, Pia Harold, Gianluca Avagnina, Ruth Comerford, Joe McFadden and Thomas Mackintosh. It was edited by Nathan Williams, James Harness, Emily McGarvey and Paul Gribben.

Thank you for following our coverage of the report into the infected blood scandal. Here's the latest:

• The report found that the scandal could and should have largely been avoided, with victims being failed "not once but repeatedly" by doctors, the government and other bodies including the NHS
• It found authorities covered up the scandal and exposed victims to unacceptable risks

• Sir Brian Langstaff, who chaired the inquiry, said the scale of the scandal was "horrifying" and the authorities had been too slow to respond to the risks
• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak offered a "whole-hearted apology" to victims. He pledged compensation, whatever it costs, with details to follow tomorrow
• Labour leader Keir Starmer also apologised and said his party would "work with" the prime minister to get compensation sorted swiftly

Colette Wintle is a haemophiliac who was given a blood transfusion with blood sourced from Louisiana prisons. She was subsequently infected with hepatitis B and C.

When she was discharged from hospital, the doctor told her mother, "your daughter will never be the same again".

Colette has two cousins in Ireland, also haemophiliacs, who were infected with HIV and hepatitis C. They were paid compensation in 1996.

Colette says: “My cousins were protected. They were paid compensation and allowed to go back for further amounts when their condition deteriorated. They achieved an agreement with the government in Ireland.

“It’s a disgrace that I am having to still sit here and talk about this.”

Bill Wright, the chair of Haemophilia Scotland, told Radio Scotland's Lunchtime Live earlier that he and his fellow campaigners frankly feel "quite overwhelmed" by today's report.

"This, I'm afraid, is an earthquake that shakes government to its very foundations," said Wright, a campaigner who has lived with the consequences of being infected by concentrated blood products for almost 40 years.

He said the report is "earth-shattering" but added that it is not viewed as a triumph because "you can't bring back the dead.

"We can at least take some comfort today in being vindicated."