Inquiry launched into 1984 police clashes with miners

A public inquiry to uncover the truth of what happened during violent clashes between police and striking miners in Orgreave is set to begin in the autumn, the government has announced.

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN

The statutory inquiry, promised in Labour’s election manifesto, will get to the bottom of one of the “most controversial episodes in policing history”.

It comes more than 40 years after 120 people were injured during skirmishes between police and miners in the Battle of Orgreave at a coking plant in South Yorkshire on 18 June 1984.

In total, 95 picketers were arrested and initially charged with riot and violent disorder, but all charges were later dropped after evidence was discredited.

Announcing the inquiry, home secretary Yvette Cooper admitted events at Orgreave had “cast a shadow over communities in Yorkshire and other mining areas”.

She added: “The violent scenes and subsequent prosecutions raised concerns that have been left unanswered for decades, and we must now establish what happened.”

The inquiry, which will have the powers to compel people to provide evidence, will be chaired by the Rt Rev Dr Pete Wilcox, the Bishop of Sheffield.

It follows years of campaigning from the Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign (OTJC), which welcomed the news, saying: “We have waited a long time for this day.”