Eric Hammond, the former leader of Britain’s electricians’ union who made secret deals with Rupert Murdoch on the News Corp move to Wapping, has died at the age of 79.

He led the Electrical, Electronics, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union (EETPA) and made his name when he secretly negotiated with Murdoch over plans for the new News International production site in east London.

Hammond made a deal for his electricians to man the presses at Wapping, producing titles such as the Times and the Sun, leaving 3,500 print workers unemployed.