Battle of Orgreave files to be made public in 2017

Government files relating to the so-called Battle of Orgreave are expected to be made public in the first half of next year, it has been revealed.

In a letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee, home secretary Amber Rudd said 30 files relating to the UK miners' strike would be sent to the National Archives.

The subject titles show that at least one file relates directly to Orgreave.

In October, Home Secretary Amber Rudd ruled out an inquiry into the clashes between miners and police at the South Yorkshire coking site in 1984.

Campaigners have claimed officers led by South Yorkshire Police were heavy-handed and manufactured statements.

Writing to Yvette Cooper, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Ms Rudd said all the remaining miners' strike Home Office files should be publicly available at the National Archives in the first half of 2017.

She said the Home Office was also giving "further consideration to three files, the status of which has yet to be determined".

Ms Cooper said: "The home secretary's agreement to make public 30 further files on Orgreave is welcome.

"We are seeking further information and I have now written to a further 18 police forces involved in policing the incident to ask what related written information they hold which is not in the public domain."