TRADE union activist Kevin Halpin has died at the age of 90.

He was a fighter for the working class all his life as a rank-and-file union organiser and communist.

Born in Preston, Lancashire, he committed himself to fighting the system that saw his mother die in the workhouse.

Kevin chaired the Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions, formed to fight anti-union laws in the 1960s.

Tributes were paid following his death on Thursday morning.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said Kevin’s contribution to the labour movement was “immeasurable and extraordinary.”

Morning Star editor Ben Chacko said: “Kevin was an inspirational figure for all socialists, a veteran of countless battles and a champion of the working class all his life.

“It was a privilege to know him and to learn from his decades of experience as a trade union militant whose contribution continues to shape our movement.

“He was a pillar of support for the Morning Star and never hesitated to help with his encouragement and advice. His death is a tremendous loss but our paper and our movement are so much the stronger for his life.”

His political life is recorded in his autobiography, Memoirs of a Militant.