THE TUC repeated its demands today for a national plan to remove asbestos from the estimated tens of thousands of public and commercial buildings which still contain the deadly material.

The call, which coincided with a parliamentary debate on the issue, came just days after an inquest found ex-Labour MP Alice Mahon died of an industrial disease linked to asbestos exposure.

The left-wing former member of the Socialist Campaign Group, who represented Halifax between 1987 and 2005, passed away on Christmas Day last year from malignant mesothelioma, Bradford Coroners Court ruled last week.

The form of cancer can be caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibres, which was routinely used in insulation and other common products until the 1980s.

The death of Ms Mahon, who warned that she had been exposed to the carcinogenic or cancer-causing substance when working at both West Yorkshire’s Northowram Hospital and the House of Commons, was one of 5,000 linked to asbestos in workplaces in 2022 alone, according to the Health and Safety Executive. 

Despite the shocking toll, a new report published earlier this week by legal firm Irwin Mitchell estimates that a whopping 87,000 buildings across Britain still contain the dangerous material.

The current legal framework allows for asbestos in buildings to be managed in situ, rather than removed, but this approach was recently criticised by MPs in the cross-party work and pensions select committee, which urged a 40-year deadline to remove all traces of the substance.

The TUC is demanding a much shorter timetable, backed up by a new legal duty to safely remove asbestos.

General secretary Paul Nowak said: “Everyone should be safe at work, but thousands of people die every year from industrial diseases caused by asbestos.

“It is still with us in workplaces and public buildings across the country, putting hundreds of thousands of workers at risk of exposure every day.

“The only way to protect today’s workers and future generations is through the safe removal of asbestos from every workplace and public building — ministers must commit to removing it to keep future generations safe.”

Today’s Westminster Hall debate started after the Morning Star went to press.