Government caves in to demands for probe into police brutality against miners at Orgreave

A delegation from the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) met Home Secretary Amber Rudd on Tuesday to press the case for an inquiry.

It is understood the Government has now agreed to review the so-called Battle of Orgreave but the format is yet to be decided.

Orgreave: The 30-year quest for the truth

Hillsborough, Rotherham, Orgreave and the Rhino Whip Affair: Five police scandals in South Yorkshire

YP Comment: Orgreave: Now for the truth... Yorkshire Post revelations prompt inquiry

Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh, who chaired Tuesday’s meeting, said: “This is incredibly encouraging news but we will all keep up the pressure until we hear confirmation.”

“That we have got this far is down to the hard work and tenacity of the Orgreave campaigners who have worked tirelessly to get us within sight of an inquiry”

“After three decades the time has come to get the truth”

Ms Rudd is set to appoint a lawyer in October to assess material relating to the trouble, according to The Times.

She wants to push ahead with an investigation that delivers answers that are “complete” but does not want “something that could drag on for years”, a source told the newspaper.

But Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham, who has campaigned on the issue, said it was “disappointing” that the news had emerged only via a leak.

Mr Burnham said: “It is clear that the Government have listened to what the campaigners are saying and that is welcome.

“But it is disappointing that it has emerged through an anonymous briefing to a newspaper. If it is true, the Home Secretary must confirm it without delay.

“It is also essential that the campaigners are consulted on the membership of any panel and its terms of reference.

“The Home Secretary is to be congratulated for having the courage to continue the progress of shining a light on past injustice. We won’t fully restore public trust in the Police until there is a true reckoning about the past.”

Rotherham’s Labour MP Sarah Champion posted: “Looking increasingly hopeful for an Orgreave inquiry. Well done @orgreavejustice for your campaigning.”

Around 6,000 officers, many with riot gear, horses and dogs, are alleged to have used excessive force to suppress a miners’ strike at Orgreave coking works in near Rotherham, which is now the site of a housing estate.

Former policeman Mike Freeman has told how officers were ordered to write statements for arrests they had not made while veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner said he saw ‘’dogs and horses’’ being set on picketers.

A total of 95 miners were charged following the clashes at the plant between Sheffield and Rotherham but their trial collapsed.

South Yorkshire Police referred itself to the IPCC in 2012 over allegations officers colluded to write court statements.

The watchdog later said the passage of time prevented a formal investigation, but that there was ‘’support’’ for the allegation that senior police exaggerated pickets’ use of violence.

The conclusion earlier this year of the inquest into the deaths at the Hillsborough disaster and evidence which has subsequently emerged has pointed to connections between the two events.

Earlier this year, The Yorkshire Post saw redacted sections of the report revealing that the same senior officers and solicitor were involved in the aftermath of Orgreave and the Hillsborough disaster.

Barbara Jackson, secretary of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, said in a statement: “We welcome the media reports this morning suggesting that the Home Secretary accepts the imperative for an inquiry into Orgreave, and is now considering what format that inquiry should take.

“For any Orgreave inquiry to be effective, it must have full powers to ensure that all relevant evidence is obtained. It must have the ability to produce a report which provides a proper analysis of the evidence, as the Hillsborough Independent Panel did.

“For any inquiry to have the confidence of all concerned, it must involve those with sufficient expertise and independence to deliver a rigorous analysis and robust conclusions.

“We hope that the Home Secretary will engage with us further about this issue. History is littered with examples of inquiries which though well intentioned disappoint at every level, but we are confident that the Home Secretary will want to make sure she does the job right on Orgreave.”

The Home Office said on Thursday it would not be commenting on The Times report.