MPS have called for a ban on government contracts with industrial giant Altrad and urged ministers today to launch a national asbestos removal programme.

A new report published today by the all-party parliamentary group on occupational safety and health calls for urgent action to remove asbestos from public buildings and halt new contracts to Altrad — the owner of former asbestos manufacturer Cape Plc.

Britain has the highest rate of asbestos cancer in the world, with asbestos still present in most schools and hospitals.

The report focuses on the legacy of Cape, once Britain’s largest asbestos producer, and its role in exposing workers to deadly risks while covering up the dangers.

At a recent parliamentary hearing, MPs and peers from Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats heard evidence from doctors, legal experts, victims’ advocates, and a former Cape director.

The hearing detailed how the firm concealed the dangers of products like the widely used and lethal Asbestolux.

Labour MP and group chairman Ian Lavery said: “Cape’s deadly legacy has destroyed thousands of lives, and the company has yet to show real accountability.

“As the parent company, Altrad now carries that responsibility — and the government must stop turning a blind eye.”

Mr Lavery said it is “completely unacceptable” that Altrad continues to receive public contracts while “failing to address the devastation caused by Cape’s asbestos products.”

“The government must act now: no more contracts, no more excuses, until a meaningful contribution is made to mesothelioma research,” he said.

National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede welcomed the reports findings, saying: “Most schools still contain asbestos and every day that passes means that children and staff remain at risk of developing asbestos-related disease.

“Hundreds of education workers have died from mesothelioma since 1980.

“Children who are more vulnerable to asbestos exposure are also at great risk.

“The lifetime risk of developing mesothelioma for a five-year-old is about five times greater than an adult aged thirty.

“We need to see a timeframe and much firmer commitments from the government to address this silent killer.”

The government’s Health and Safety Executive was approached for comment.