Thousands of people died after being given infected blood transfusions by the NHS.

They were people with haemophilia, women giving birth, and cancer patients who died after contracting HIV or Hepatitis C from infected blood.

An inquiry has been studying millions of pages of evidence from hundreds of sources and witnesses for six years.

From its source in the early 1970s via warnings, missed opportunities, delays and perhaps even deliberate cover-ups, this episode of the Sky News Daily explores the story behind the worst treatment scandal in NHS history.

Niall Paterson is joined by Sky's science and technology editor Tom Clarke in preparation for the final report from the inquiry - due to be published on Monday.

👉 Listen above then tap here to follow the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈

By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter

The defence secretary has said he is "angry inside" over the infected blood scandal ahead of a long-waited report into the decades-long injustice.

Grant Shapps told Sky News he agreed it had been one of the most "shameful failures" of government and said he was dismayed by the "lack of anybody taking responsibility".

The findings of a public inquiry into the scandal, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, are due to be published on Monday.

From 1970 to the 1990s, tens of thousands of people were infected with contaminated blood through blood products or blood transfusions given via the NHS. People were infected with hepatitis or HIV - in some cases with both.

An estimated 3,000 people died as a result.

Mr Shapps told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that the scandal was a "massive injustice which needs to be put right" and said the government would act on the report.

Read more here:

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.

With the local elections complete, Labour is still sitting comfortably ahead, with the Tories trailing behind.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the tracker here.

China's Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have met in Beijing – promoting their alliance and their new ‘world order’ away from the West. 

On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by Sky’s Asia correspondent Nicole Johnston in Beijing and Sky’s Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett to discuss the highlights of the summit so far.  

Plus, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer made a key speech to lay out six pledges ahead of his election campaign. Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates joins Niall to unpick the key moments.  

By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter

Labour's shadow health secretary has said he "welcomes" an intervention by the Archbishop of Canterbury calling on the current government and Sir Keir Starmer to drop the two-child benefit cap.

Wes Streeting, who himself was brought up on benefits, said he took Justin Welby "really seriously" and saw his plea as part of "the central driving mission of Christianity - the rage against injustice".

He told Sky's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: "I actually really welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury, his intervention.

"You're never going to find - if there's a Labour government - politicians being sent out to attack the Archbishop of Canterbury for virtue signalling, as Conservative campaigns have done.

"It is literally his job - he's the one person in the country whose job it is to signal virtue. And if the mission of the Church is not to alleviate poverty and suffering, then I don't know what is."

The archbishop, who's been criticised by some Tory MPs for politicising his office, has called on Mr Sunak and a potential Labour government to drop the cap, which prevents parents claiming child benefits for any third or subsequent child born after April 2017.

Read the full story here:

We spoke a short while ago to two political insiders to get their take on where politics is at the moment.

Sarah Southern, former aide to PM David Cameron, said it "has really felt as though the starting gun has been fired" on the general election campaign, even though she doesn't think it will be until much later in the year.

Labour's big event this week setting out the "first steps" for government "has that reminiscence of Blair's pledges in 1997" - a comparison she thinks will please Sir Keir Starmer.

Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent at The Times, said despite this feeling in the air, "people are probably preparing for another four, five, six, seven months of this debate".

Both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir were trying to "pitch themselves as change candidates, but without too much change", pointing in particular to the Labour leader arguing that "stability was change" after the last two years of somewhat chaotic governance.

He noted that both men have a "vested interest in trying to pretend this is a closer race than it seems from the polling" - Labour wanting to avoid people assuming a victory for them is "nailed on", while the Tories wanting to motivate his voters.

By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter

Names have begun to emerge in what will likely be a tense and toxic contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn as the Labour Party's candidate for Islington North at the next general election.

The party formally launched the process to select its candidate for the north London seat after months of uncertainty.

Sir Keir effectively barred his predecessor from ever standing as a Labour candidate when he proposed a motion by the party's ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), which said Mr Corbyn "will not be endorsed by the NEC as a candidate on behalf of the Labour Party at the next general election".

It cited the dismal defeat Mr Corbyn led Labour to as leader in the 2019 general election in arguing his candidacy should be blocked and said the party's chances of securing a majority in the Commons would be "significantly diminished" if he was endorsed.

Mr Corbyn has been without the party whip - meaning he cannot sit as a Labour MP in the Commons - since 2020 following his response to a report into antisemitism within the party by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, which Sir Keir and his allies felt downplayed the significance of the problem while he was leader.

Since the passing of the NEC motion, speculation has been rife as to what Mr Corbyn's future could hold.

Read about the potential runners and riders here:

By Faye Brown, political reporter

A Tory peer has resigned the government whip after he was found to have bullied and harassed two people while drunk.

Lord Ranger, a former adviser to Boris Johnson, faces being banned from the House of Lords bars following an investigation into his conduct.

He has apologised for his behaviour and given up the whip - meaning he will have to sit as a non-aligned peer.

A statement from the whip's office said: "Lord Ranger has resigned the government whip and apologised for his actions, which were an unacceptable breach of the standards of the House, and of parliament.

"The committee has recommended a sanction, which should be respected."

The House of Lords Conduct Committee recommended Lord Ranger be suspended from the House for three weeks following an investigation into an incident in parliament's Strangers' Bar in January.

The committee also recommended he be banned from the House of Lords bars for 12 months.

Read more here:

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.

With the local elections complete, Labour is still sitting comfortably ahead, with the Tories trailing behind.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the tracker here.

By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter

The defence secretary has said he is "angry inside" over the infected blood scandal ahead of a long-waited report into the decades-long injustice.

Grant Shapps told Sky News he agreed it had been one of the most "shameful failures" of government and said he was dismayed by the "lack of anybody taking responsibility".

The findings of a public inquiry into the scandal, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, are due to be published on Monday.

From 1970 to the 1990s, tens of thousands of people were infected with contaminated blood through blood products or blood transfusions given via the NHS. People were infected with hepatitis or HIV - in some cases with both.

An estimated 3,000 people died as a result.

Mr Shapps told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that the scandal was a "massive injustice which needs to be put right" and said the government would act on the report.

Read more here: