Brightside & Hillsborough MP calls on PM to launch Orgreave inquiry

In her first appearance at Prime Ministers Questions, Gill Furniss linked the policing of the miners' strike in the 1980s to the Hillsborough disaster.

Gill Furniss, MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough
Published 11th May 2016

The new Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough MP has called on the Prime Minister to launch an inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave.

In her first appearance at Prime Ministers Questions, Gill Furniss - who was voted in last week - linked the policing of the miners' strike in the 1980s to the Hillsborough disaster.

Gill stated that neither event could be seen in isolation, and questions would remain over both until they were fully examined.

She asked David Cameron: “Twenty seven years ago in my constituency we saw the country's biggest sporting disaster.

“It is clear that we won't have the full truth about Hillsborough until we have the full truth about Orgreave and the policing of the miners' strike.

"Will the Prime Minister accept the call by the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and initiate an inquiry?”

In response, Mr Cameron said the Home Secretary has met with campaigners and will make a decision in due course.

The Labour MP called the answer 'non-committal', but says she's 'determined to keep pushing for answers'.

"The Hillsborough inquests have shown how important it is to get to the truth, no matter how much time has passed.

"The 1980s were not a good time for policing in South Yorkshire, and without a public inquiry into both Hillsborough and Orgreave, the shadow cast by both of these tragic events will continue to linger.”