The tainted blood scandal may have been covered-up by officials, a Government lawyer has said as she issued an apology to victims.

Eleanor Grey QC, representing the Department of Health and Social Care, acknowledged the Infected Blood Inquiry had heard “many reminders of what may, at worst, have been a cover-up or, at best, a lack of candour about past events”.

She also accepted there were questions over the alleged destruction of Government documents and medical records in the aftermath of the scandal, which could have infected at least 25,000 blood transplant recipients with HIV and Hepatitis C.