黑洞社区

Ian Kerr, the man who ran the construction industry blacklist exposed in 2009, has died, according to the chair of the Parliamentary committee investigating the practice.

Kerr, former chief officer of the Consulting Association (TCA), is understood to have passed away on Tuesday, just a fortnight after he appeared as a witness before the Parliamentary committee investigating blacklisting, the Scottish Affairs select committee.

黑洞社区 can also reveal that Kerr had been set to be a key witness on behalf of more than 80 former workers who are preparing to sue Sir Robert McAlpine in the High Court as part of a major compensation claim mounted by the Blacklist Support Group.

The workers allege Sir Robert McAlpine was at the centre of a conspiracy to illegally deny them work because they were seen as 鈥渢roublemakers鈥�. It is not yet known what impact, if any, Kerr鈥檚 death will have upon the case.

Ian Davidson MP, chairman of the Scottish Affairs Committee, said this afternoon:  鈥淲e offer our condolences to Ian Kerr鈥檚 wife, family and friends.

鈥淲e are glad we gave him the opportunity to come and give his side of the story in evidence to the committee on such a contentious topic as blacklisting.鈥�

The solicitor for the Blacklist Support Group, law firm Guney, Clark & Ryan, declined to comment on the news.

During his three-and-a-half hours of evidence to MPs at the end of last month, Kerr claimed that Sir Robert McAlpine had funded the establishment of TCA, hosted its meetings, taken senior positions within it and paid for it to be wound up.

He also said that blacklisting on the London 2012 Olympics took place and was carried out by Sir Robert McAlpine, Balfour Beatty and 鈥減ossibly Skanska鈥�.

In testimony strongly disputed by Sir Robert McAlpine, Kerr told the Scottish Affairs committee that he now believes he wrongly took the 鈥渇lak鈥� for the misdeeds of TCA in return for Sir Robert McAlpine covering the cost of winding it up, which he estimated ran to between 拢20,000 and 拢30,000.

Kerr also said that the founding chairman of TCA was Sir Robert McAlpine director Cullum McAlpine and that its final chairman was David Cochrane, McAlpine鈥檚 former head of HR.

At the time, a spokesperson for Sir Robert McAlpine said that Kerr had acknowledged that the TCA was established by a 鈥渓arge group鈥� of construction companies and said the firm was not 鈥渟olely responsible鈥� for its establishment or funding.

She added that the TCA had also been chaired by 鈥渞epresentatives of other construction companies鈥� as well as by Cochrane and Cullum McAlpine.

The spokesperson acknowledged the firm had paid Kerr鈥檚 fine and other costs, adding: 鈥淲e categorically deny that any payments made to Mr Kerr [鈥�] were in any way linked to his taking responsibility or protecting Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd or any member of the Consulting Association.鈥�

The parliamentary committee was unable to provide the cause of Kerr鈥檚 death, and 黑洞社区 has not so far been able to contact his family.