In this column, I will revisit topics I only last wrote about a few months ago but since then an incredible amount of progress has been made.

As I have remarked before, a lot of the issues I campaign on can seem like banging my head against a wall until suddenly the dam breaks and we all take a step closer to achieving our goal.

The main headline this week has been the publication of the final report of the infected blood inquiry.

The Prime Minister rightly described Monday as a day of shame for the British state, with Sir Brian Langstaff’s report showing a decades-long moral failure by everyone from the NHS to the civil service and ministers in successive governments.

With victims and families repeatedly not being listened to and concerns not taken seriously, at times it seemed that we would never reach this stage.

It is easy for onlookers to simply say now that it would have inevitably come to pass, but for campaigners at times it seemed an impossible conclusion. For that, I want to thank Theresa May who initiated the inquiry while Prime Minister.

Ultimately, credit must go to the victims and families who have campaigned for so long for justice.

I first met a constituent impacted by the infected blood scandal at a surgery and it has truly been an honour to play a very small role in campaigning on their behalf.

Last week, on behalf of constituents of York Outer, I presented a petition to the House of Commons calling for justice for those affected by the infected blood scandal and I will continue to be a voice to all victims ensuring the Government swiftly enact the report’s recommendations.

With a victim dying every four days, there is no time to waste. I am heartened by the fact the Prime Minister has pledged to pay comprehensive compensation. I await to find out further details of how we can rectify this ugly stain on our democracy and make sure a similar scandal can never occur again.

From domestic health issues to those of a global scale, I continue my campaign ahead of the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting in September to encourage our Government to build a global coalition to address the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

AMR is already the third leading underlying cause of death globally and by 2050 it could contribute to ten million deaths annually.

This is not just a medical emergency though, Global GDP is projected to fall between one per cent and four per cent by 2050 as a result of AMR.

To put how serious the threat is into perspective, in the next two decades AMR is projected to be linked to 15 million deaths at a cost of over $100trillion. This compares to the Covid-19 pandemic, which cost the global economy around $12trillion and resulted in seven million associated deaths.

With so much at stake, I am grateful for both the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary for making time to meet with me as Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Antimicrobial Resistance to discuss how the Government can position the United Kingdom as world leaders in the global response to AMR.

Domestically, we have an incredible record but, like with many challenges, we cannot fight it alone. We need to build a global coalition, focussing especially on showing lower and middle economically developed countries why investing in tackling AMR is so important.

To help build consensus ahead of the United Nations meeting, I joined representatives from Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Japan, Italy, Guyana, and many other countries at the Royal Society for The World Together Solving the Antibiotic Emergency conference.

At the conference, the Chancellor announced a package of up to £85million to support the international community, including £50million to support countries and institutions in Africa in accessing essential antimicrobial drugs, up to £25million which includes support to Caribbean countries and territories in strengthening surveillance systems for AMR, and a further £10million to help establish an international scientific panel to coordinate global action.

To reiterate a final time the scale and importance of the fight against AMR, I will end this column quoting the Prince of Wales who attended the Royal Society conference to encourage countries and organisations to work together: “Antimicrobial resistance threatens our health, our environment, our livelihoods and our future. Unless we act now and together, the ripple effects of drug resistance will be felt across generations, jeopardising the wellbeing of our children and our grandchildren.”

Julian Sturdy is the Conservative MP for York Outer