The government has announced the formal start of the official inquiry into the violent policing at the Orgreave coking plant during the 1984-85 miners' strike and the discredited prosecutions of 95 men that followed. The inquiry, announced in July by then Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, is chaired by the Bishop of Sheffield, Pete Wilcox.
The terms of reference, similar to those of the Hillsborough independent panel, aim to seek the fullest disclosure of information and produce a report by spring 2028 to aid public understanding. An expert panel has been appointed to consider the evidence.
At Orgreave on 18 June 1984, about 8,000 miners assembled for a mass picket and were met by 6,000 police officers from forces nationwide, led by South Yorkshire Police. The ensuing violence saw police charging miners on horseback and striking them with truncheons. Prosecutions against 95 miners were dropped in June 1985 after police evidence was discredited in court.
The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, which has sought a statutory inquiry since 2012, welcomed the announcement but expressed disappointment at the time taken to reach this formal start. Policing Minister Sarah Jones said the panel's purpose was to get to the truth, adding that campaigners had felt not believed or listened to for a long time.
The four panel members include Wendy Williams, a former chief prosecutor; Mary Bousted, a former joint general secretary of the National Education Union; Joanna Gilmore, a senior law lecturer; and Angela Sutton-Vane, a historian. Wilcox stated he aims to help resolve a trauma that persists for miners, their families, and the police-community relationship, following the evidence without prejudice.
