Family of Eltham parliament engineer who died from asbestos-related cancer launch legal battle

As MPs prepare to vote on whether to move out of the asbestos-riddled houses of parliament to protect their safety, Frederick Hodge’s diary entries written over 20 years have come to light.

Mr Hodge supervised maintenance of boilers and pipes in the 1970s and early 1980s and was unaware that he was suffering from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos, until just before he died this summer.

When his sons cleared out his belongings after their father’s death this summer, they found the journals, which they say describe a working environment riddled with lethal dust and pipes lagged with the deadly substance.

Mr Hodge worked as an electrical engineer at Parliament in the 1970s and 1980s

Excerpts from the diaries include mention of Mr Hodge's concern about air testing in the Star Chamber Court, the peers' dining room, the smoking and chess room, and the Moses Room, used by peers as a secondary debating chamber.

They also include mention of his concern about air testing parts of the building. In one excerpt he remarked: “Not happy with method taking bulk samples. Speak to Safety Office.”

The fibrous rock was widely used as a construction material in homes and other buildings until 1999 and acts as an insulator.

But when the materials become airborne, such as during building work, they can cause cancer or serious lung diseases.

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Lawyers from the firm Fieldfisher are using the diaries to bring a case for compensation against Mr Hodge's employer, the Ministry of Public Building and Works, now the Department of the Environment, for failing to protect him.

Shaheen Mosquera, representing Mr Hodge's family, said that Mr Hodge's diaries confirm the picture of a ticking time bomb in the Houses of Parliament for people working there that is only now being taken seriously.

Ms Mosquera said that over the years thousands of people could have come into contact with asbestos in the Houses of Parliament and it is likely that more fatal cases will follow.

Mr Hodge's children discovered the diaries when they cleared out his belongings after his death in the summer

The law firm says this is one of a stream of emerging cases from employees claiming they have suffered health problems from exposure to the dust.

She would like to hear from any former colleagues of Mr Hodge who may be able to add to the case.

A report warned last month that the problem is so severe that asbestos can be found in almost every shaft of the palace.

It proposed moving MPs in 2022 to a building currently occupied by the Department of Health.

MPs are due to take a vote on the matter in the coming weeks.