GORDON BROWN will today be accused of betraying English victims of an asbestos-related condition who will miss out on compensation available in Scotland.
Tens of thousands of future sufferers from “pleural plaques” – a condition that can trigger serious respiratory diseases, including mesothelioma and lung cancer – will be told they can no longer prove liability.
Only the existing 6,500 sufferers will receive "no fault" pay-outs – and only of up to £5,000. They will be funded by the taxpayer, rather than insurance companies.
The decision will have far-reaching consequences in Merseyside and other areas with a history of heavy industry, where the “ticking timebomb” of asbestos exposure will mean many more sufferers in the decades to come.
Now they will receive no damages until a serious disease develops, by which time an employer or insurance company may have disappeared – making it harder to prove liability.
To add insult to injury, compensation will still be available in Scotland which overturned a shock Law Lords ruling, made in October, 2007.
Peter Kilfoyle – whose brotherm John, who worked at the famous engineering firmm Plessey, died from mesothelioma – said: "This is grossly wrong, because we have an obligation to ensure proper compensation.
"Pleural plaques can be a very debilitating condition, leaving people breathless and wearing them down. My brother had the condition and died from mesothelioma."
That criticism was echoed by the Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians. Alan Ritchie, its general secretary, said: "The Government's failure to overturn the Law Lords' 2007 judgment will be seen as a massive betrayal.
"Workers exposed to asbestos by their employers, leading them to develop pleural plaques and suffering horrendous scarring to their lungs, are now denied compensation."
