Brian Higgins (trade unionist)

Brian Higgins (1940/41 – June 2019) was a Scottish bricklayer and trade union official. He moved to Northampton, England, for work and became involved in the socialist Revolutionary Democratic Group and the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians. Because of his activities in picketing construction sites during disputes Higgins was blacklisted and was unable to find work from 1981.

The existence of the blacklist was exposed by the Information Commissioner's Office in 2009 and Higgins found that his file, running to 49 pages, was the longest on the list. It also showed that he had been subject to undercover investigation by the Metropolitan Police. Higgins afterwards worked to bring anti-blacklisting laws before the European Parliament and gave evidence to the Undercover Policing Inquiry.