Illegal blacklist man dies

The man at the centre of the construction industry-blacklist scandal, which saw thousands of building workers illegally denied jobs, has died shortly after testifying to the Parliamentary committee investigating the issue.

Ian Kerr passed away earlier this week, according to Building magazine. He had run the blacklist, which was exposed three years ago, that provided information on 3200 construction workers that companies would use to decide whether or not to hire them.

This was in breach of the Data Protection Act, which saw Kerr fined £5,000 and give three-and-a-half hours of evidence to the Scottish Affairs Select Committee a fortnight ago.

He was also due to appear as the key witness in a High Court case that will see 80 construction workers take on Olympic stadium builder Sir Robert McAlpine.

In his evidence, Kerr alleged that Sir Robert McAlpine had funded the establishment of his company, the Consulting Association, as well as hosting its meetings and paying for its closure after the scandal was revealed.

He also claimed that people were blacklisted from working on London 2012, arguably the country’s most prestigious construction project since World War II.

Kerr alleged that Sir Robert MCalpine’s FTSE 250-listed rival, Balfour Beatt,y and “possibly Skanska”, which built the Gherkin, were also involved.

Sir Robert McAlpine has disputed the evidence.