Labour to campaign for Justice for the Coalfields

Labour last week launched the Justice for the Coalfields campaign to urge Conservative Ministers to begin to put right the wrongs with coalfield communities. Earlier this month newly-released cabinet papers revealed that the Thatcher Government had a secret plan to close 75 pits at the cost of some 65,000 jobs, that the Government did seek to influence police tactics to escalate the dispute and that they actively considered declaring a state of emergency and deploying the Army to defeat the miners and Unions.

Sarah has been supporting the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign since her election. She has last week written to the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office to call upon the Government to apologise for the actions of the previous Conservative Government during the strike, before the 30th Anniversary of Orgreave on 18th June this year.

Sarah said: I'm really proud that Labour is taking up this cause. Our region still bears the scars and carries the legacy of the Government's actions during the strike.

I believe it is fundamental for progress that there is a formal apology for the suffering of the coalfield regions. Those who have, and continue to suffer have waited long enough for justice.