Home Secretary meets Rotherham MP and Bishop of Sheffield amid push for Orgreave Inquiry
South Yorkshire Police clashed with striking miners at the Orgreave Coking Works in 1984 - in one of the defining moments of the Miners' Strike.
Rotherham MP Sarah Champion and the Bishop of Sheffield Dr Pete Wilcox have met the Home Secretary, to push for an update on an inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave.
South Yorkshire Police clashed with striking miners at the Orgreave Coking Works on June 18 1984, in an event that would later become known as the Battle of Orgreave.
123 people were injured in one of the defining moments of the UK miners' strike, where workers were confronted by police with riot shields and on horseback.
Miners threw stones at police lines before they were charged at, with many being dragged away and arrested.
Police have long faced accusations of using excessive force against crowds. An attempt to jail some picketers on the charge of 'riot' collapsed after police evidence was deemed too unreliable.
In 1991 South Yorkshire Police paid compensation to a group of miners for assault, unlawful detention, wrongful arrest and malicious prosecution.
Labour promised in its 2024 manifesto to establish an investigation or inquiry into events at Orgreave in 1984.
Sarah and Bishop Pete met with Yvette Cooper earlier today to push for a timetable to be set for any probe.
Following the meeting, Sarah said: “The events at Orgreave during the Miners’ Strike have cast a long shadow. I know just how important Labour’s commitment to establishing the truth was to my constituents. Now we must see that through."
"Campaigners have been fighting for the truth for more than forty years. Many are now elderly, and I made it clear to the Home Secretary we simply cannot afford to wait any longer. They have been promised the truth before, only for the rug to be pulled from under them. What matters now is delivering on our commitment.’
"I am pleased that the Home Secretary is engaging with members of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, who have done so much to shine a light on events at Orgreave and hope that we will receive positive news soon.
Bishop Pete said: "Events at Orgreave over 40 years ago remain a raw wound for many across South Yorkshire. Only an Independent Inquiry is capable of bringing a measure of healing and I believe the time for that has come. I sense that the Home Secretary understands this"