Leeds MP says battle will continue for Asbestos Widows

John Battle, MP for Leeds West has vowed to continue the fight for compensation as Law lords ruled thousands of widows would not receive full compensation for their husband’s deaths from asbestos related cancer.

John Battle said “My first reaction to this is it is deeply disappointing, but we are in this for the long-term and will not be giving up this long haul struggle. We will prove these companies are responsible and continue our fight. For many of these widows their lives have been turned upside down. Nothing can replace the loss of a loved one but this compensation payment would have given them some compensation for the deaths of their husbands who were exposed negligently to asbestos. One of their employers gave them the fatal fibre, they don’t know who it is but someone must be held accountable or collectively they should take responsibility for this negligence.”

John Battle joined campaigners outside the House of Commons. Over 1900 people die each year from mesothelioma, a form of cancer that attacks the lungs with only known cause being exposure to asbestos. The appeal raised questions of whether compensation should be denied altogether. The test case of Sylvia Barker, 58, was at the centre of the dispute. The widow was awarded £152,000 for the death of her husband Vernon who whilst working for John Summers and Sons at the Shotton steelworks on Deeside had been exposed to asbestos. He had also been employed for another company and had a short period of self-employment. Her damages will now be re-assessed.

John Battle speaking to widows said “I will be pressing the government to look at this issue and will be writing to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to insist he intervenes. It’s not fair that having lost their partners, these widows are made to suffer further by being denied the compensation due to them. Employers and their insurers need to realise they have a duty to care for their employees and for the negligence of exposing them to asbestos. Being asked to pay a proportion of the damages is not good enough, I am disappointed at today’s law lords ruling but this is not the end of the campaign for justice and compensation to the victims of mesothelioma.”

John Battle MP 03 May 2006