Fall Out

The high court has ruled that military veterans can sue the Ministry for Punching Above Our Weight On The International Stage over claims that they were exposed to excessive radiation during nuclear tests in the 1950s. The veterans think that the radiation has given them cancer and chromosome damage. The high court judge said that the Ministry would be allowed to appeal the decision, rather than being put to the inconvenience of simply breaking the law; but he also "urged ministers to consider a settlement rather than drag out legal proceedings further". After all, the tests in question took place sixty years ago, so the veterans may be at risk of dying before the legal process has run its rapid and efficient course. The Ministry wouldn't want that.