Labour leadership challenger says it's 'high time' we had Orgreave inquiry
Owen Smith used a speech in Rotherham to put fresh pressure on the government to launch an immediate inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave.
Labour leadership contender Owen Smith has used a speech in Rotherham to put fresh pressure on the government to launch an immediate inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave.
He was speaking at the old Orgreave coking plant in Catcliffe, where he brought up ongoing calls for a proper investigation into the 1984 clashes between police and miners.
- “It is high time we had a full Hillsborough-style public inquiry into that appalling incident,” *he said.
“It is high time the Labour party forced the government to deliver that, and it is high time the government had the honour and the courage to deliver it. I am determined that we will see that come to pass.”
Owen Smith went on to set out his vision for the Labour Party - outlining what pledges he'll make if he takes over from Jeremy Corby.
He vowed to “smash'' austerity by taxing the rich, and improving pay levels and workers' rights if he becomes prime minister.
He also wants to narrow the North-South divide – asking why workers in Rotherham have just a quarter of the disposable income of their counterparts in London.
Promising a ‘socialist revolution’, Mr Smith said his plans were radical but not ‘pie in the sky’.
It comes after he criticised party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Tony Blair for not being radical enough, and called for Labour to be bolder.
Owen also said he understood the anger of voters which had contributed to the victory for the Brexit camp in the European Union referendum.