A Labour MP has condemned the Government as being "100 per cent wrong" over its refusal to ensure victims of an asbestos-related disease get compensation - as officials sparked fury by saying the condition was no more than "freckles".

Bradford North Terry Rooney has been lobbying to overturn a decision last year where insurance firms - facing £1 billion bill - won a Law Lords ruling that they were not liable because pleural plaques had no symptoms and was, therefore, not a disease.

And despite continued pressure from MPs and a 90-minute debate Justice Minister Bridget Prentice only said MPs' arguments were "incredibly persuasive" - but insisted the law would not be changed.

Mr Rooney said: "The Government is wrong, it is 100 per cent wrong. There is going to be a lobby of parliament tomorrow which I will be supporting. There will also be a national campaign launched by UCATT - the builders workers union which I will be supporting."

The MP spoke out after Government officials sparked fury by describing victims of an asbestos-related condition as having "no more than freckles".

MPs heard that civil servants told a trade union representing sufferers of pleural plaques': "What are you worried about? It's no more than freckles".

In fact, the condition - a scarring of the lungs - means its victims are five times more likely to develop mesothelioma, a respiratory disease.

More than 350 people in the Bradford district died from asbestos-related cancer between 1981 and 2000, and the number diagnosed with the disease is expected to rise annually until 2015. The revelation that Ministry of Justice officials downplayed the importance of pleural plaques came as MPs attacked the Government's refusal to ensure compensation for its victims.

The ruling was described as "outrageous" by trade unions and many Labour MPs, but the government said the ruling would not be overturned.

To add to the anger, the Scottish parliament has vowed to change the law which means English sufferers could be denied compensation available to Scots.

Ms Prentice did concede it would be "unacceptable" for compensation to be available in only part of the UK. And she held open the possibility of a U-turn if the Industrial Injury Advisory Council reclassified pleural plaques as an industrial injury.