Media and supporters advisory note

Home Secretary Amber Rudd and the demand by the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign for a Public Inquiry.

The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, promised an announcement this month on whether to hold an inquiry into the policing at Orgreave on 18 June 1984 during the miners’ strike.

The OTJC has confirmation from the Home Secretary the announcement will be made by the end of the month, 31st October Monday as originally stated in her meeting with campaigners in September .  

There is a Home Office debate in Parliament starting at 2pm, Monday 31st October and the 2nd question on the order paper is “When will the Home Secretary make an announcement about about an Orgreave Inquiry” to raised by Labour MP for Chester Christian Matheson.  Labour MPS are being primed to respond to this with supplementary questions but in order for a Labour Mp to be chosen a Tory has to be willing to ask a question as well.  

All of this has been frustrating both the campaign, supporters and the journalists following this important story with events beyond and out of our control but importantly we have held on and continued to gather media interest. Supporters who are able to get to NUM HQ Barnsley this press conference is open to all supporters as well as the media.

On Monday 31 October the OTJC contact in London is Kate. Contact orgreavejustice@hotmail.com for more information and there will be OTJC people available for interview in response to any announcement by Amber Rudd.  They will be in Committee Room 8 in Westminster from 10.00 until 16.00.

On Tuesday 1 November at 10.00am the OTJC, in association with the National Union of Mineworkers, will hold a news conference to respond in more detail to the announcement by Amber Rudd. Please note this news conference will take place even if there is no announcement by Amber Rudd.

The confirmed speakers are Barbara Jackson OTJC Secretary, Chis Kitchen NUM National Secretary and Chris Skidmore NUM Yorkshire President.

The news conference will take place at the Main Hall of the NUM Offices at  2 Huddersfield Rd, Barnsley S70 2LS.

Granville Williams is the OTJC contact for this contact orgreavejustice@hotmail.com for more information.

We thank you all for all the hard work, support and commitment which has taken the campaign this far and we ask you all to remain hopeful and to stay with us as events unfold.