AN MP has pledged to write to the Armed Forces Minister today to demand the Government pays compensation to Britain's nuclear test veterans.

Mid Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham made the pledge after reading in the Derby Telegraph about the plight of hundreds of veterans who suffered terrible illnesses after taking part in Britain's nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s.

Mrs Latham said that she would write to Nick Harvey who, as the Coalition Government's new Armed Forces Minister, is responsible for dealing with the test veterans' case. While other world governments – such as those in America, France and Russia – have compensated veterans who took part in their tests, British leaders have so far staunchly refused to accept responsibility for their veterans' problems.

Instead, the Government has engaged the former British servicemen in a protracted legal battle to avoid paying out compensation.

Mrs Latham said: "I'm going to say to Mr Harvey that many of the people involved in this have already died and that an ongoing court case will be very expensive.

"We need to be pragmatic about this and think about the people involved, rather than fighting them and engaging in a legal case that will only make lawyers rich. There is a chance the Government may lose and we have to pay out anyway. Lawyers are afraid of giving in because they say a pay-out would set a precedent, but on this issue the politicians need to get down off their high horse."

During the 1950s and 1960s, the British Government detonated more than 20 nuclear devices at sites in the South Pacific and Australia, with 20,000 servicemen taking part. Around 1,000 of them are now locked in an ongoing legal battle with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Government lawyers are trying to avoid paying out by arguing that it is "too late" for the veterans to claim – that too much time has elapsed since the veterans became aware of their illnesses.

So, last week the Derby Telegraph launched a campaign to force the MoD to the negotiating table to bring an end to the ongoing court case. We suggested that, for £20 million, the Government could settle the case with the veterans, finally recognising the duty they have done for their country, while saving the taxpayer money in the long run.

Before he became Armed Forces Minister this year, Mr Harvey had been a strong supporter of the veterans' case – he accused the last Government of "hiding behind legislation". Mr Harvey even gave a statement to the courts saying that the Government needed to fulfil its duty of care to the veterans.

But, since taking up his post at the MoD, the minister's support has subsided. On Friday, the Telegraph reported how he now believed that the Government would not do "more than it already has".

Mrs Latham said: "Given his comments in opposition, I think that he needs to think carefully about what he does now that he's in a position of power."

A spokesman from the MoD said: "As judgement is awaited from the Court of Appeal, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage. However, this is an issue that our defence ministers will be taking a close interest in."