London: The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday that British Gulf War veterans who are suing the government over alleged adverse reactions to an anti-chemical weapons vaccine have found a letter that could give them the legal right to file a significant lawsuit against the UK Ministry of Defence.

Veterans in the group claim they still experience symptoms of the alleged Gulf War Syndrome, which also causes memory loss, headaches, joint pain, and chronic fatigue.

Of the 51,000 UK service members who served in the conflict, about 17,000 experienced symptoms of the syndrome, which veterans claim started after they received vaccines intended to lessen the effects of chemical and biological weapons.

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Since the end of the war in 1991, the veterans have attempted to sue the government.

A lawsuit for millions of pounds in compensation for Gulf War Syndrome was filed by more than 2,000 veterans in 2004, but it was unsuccessful due to a dearth of supporting scientific data.

The recently discovered letter from the government of former Prime Minister John Major, however, might allow for fresh legal action.

According to the letter, there was to be no time restriction placed on any legal action brought after the conflict.

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A number of retired civil servants who worked in Whitehall during the war are also stepping forward to assist the veterans group in bringing the lawsuit.

More than 200 claims for compensation will be made by the veterans' legal team, which is led by Hilary Meredith-Beckham, the founder of Hilary Meredith Solicitors.

Since the end of the war, Meredith-Beckham has defended Gulf War veterans, and she found the letter in her own records.

She stated to the Telegraph that they had a letter from the Treasury solicitor from 1997 confirming that the defence of limitation, which is a time limit after which an action may be defeated, would not be used.

It is past time for those who were harmed so long ago and are still in pain to receive legal redress. The Ministry of Defense needs to uphold its obligations to those who sacrificed so much.

She continued by saying that assistance from retired civil servants was required for the compensation claims.

"Those responsible for making decisions have retired over time and may have thought back on their part in the Gulf War and the legacy issues that resulted," she said.

"Without knowing how to adequately protect them, we sent men and women into a highly toxic environment."

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The Ministry of Defence declined to comment on ongoing litigation, according to a spokesperson. However, we owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who fought for our country during the Gulf Wars, and we have already funded a significant amount of research into these veterans' experiences.