Prime Minister pledges to work with Marie Lyon to get justice for Primodos victims
The Prime Minister has told MPs he will work with campaigner Marie Lyon to get justice for Primodos victims, after Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi pressed him at PMQs.
The Full Story
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The Prime Minister has told the Commons he will work with Primodos campaigner Marie Lyon to get justice for people affected by the hormone pregnancy test scandal. He made the commitment during Prime Minister's Questions after Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi asked him to meet her and Ms Lyon.
Ms Qureshi said the Prime Minister had met her in 2013 to discuss Primodos and had supported affected families. She said one of his own constituents, Marie Lyon, had led the fight for decades and had recently suffered a heart attack. She said this was a stark reminder that time was running out for families who had already waited a lifetime.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to Ms Lyon as an incredible and indomitable fighter for women affected by Primodos. He said he was sorry to hear about her recent illness. From the dispatch box, he said he would work with her to get justice for the victims.
Primodos was given to around one and a half million women in Britain between the 1950s and 1970s as a hormone pregnancy test. It was said to be about 40 times the strength of the oral contraceptive pill. The drug was withdrawn from the UK market in the late 1970s after regulators warned that an association had been confirmed between the drug and birth defects.
The pledge was treated as significant because it is the first time a Prime Minister has effectively said there was an injustice and promised to help victims get justice. Only three years ago, lawyers acting for the British government struck out a claim by families for compensation from the government. Lawyers for the pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering, now owned by Bayer, also acted. The legal teams ensured the campaigners did not get their day in court.
The Prime Minister had previously said he thought this was an injustice, when he spoke to Ms Lyon. Campaigners say many affected people have died or are in poor health, including children born with malformations or heart defects. Parents are getting older. The justice they have sought has taken decades.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| About 1.5 million women in Britain were given hormone pregnancy tests between the 1950s and 1970s. | |
| The drug was withdrawn from the UK market in the late 1970s after regulators warned of a confirmed link to birth defects. | |
| The Prime Minister pledged to work with a Primodos campaigner to pursue justice for victims. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News led on the Prime Minister's answer at PMQs and framed it as a major political shift. Its home editor said it was the first time a prime minister had effectively accepted an injustice and called it a complete about turn after earlier government legal action. The channel also stressed the age and poor health of campaigners, including Marie Lyon's recent heart attack, to underline that time is running out.
- “Marie Lyon has been an incredible indomitable fighter For women affected by Primodos.”
- “this is the first time we've ever heard a prime minister of This country say there was an injustice”
- “So this is a complete about turn in a sense because this is the government now saying That there was an injustice”
Who was on air
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- 16:21 BST
Broadcast Timeline
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