BREAKING: No Orgreave Inquiry

The minister said she made the "difficult decision" because "ultimately there were no deaths or wrongful convictions" resulting from the violent encounter in 1984.

She acknowledged her decision would be a "significant disappointment" to theOrgreave Truth And Justice Campaign, which was calling for a full public inquiry into South Yorkshire Police's conduct during the clashes.

Ms Rudd rejected the campaign's assessment that had the events of the so-called battle of Orgreave been dealt with properly at the time, the Hillsborough disaster would not have happened.

In a written ministerial statement, she said: "This has been a difficult decision to make, and one which I have thought about very carefully.

"I have now concluded that there is not a sufficient basis for me to instigate either a statutory inquiry or an independent review.

"I know that this decision will come as a significant disappointment to theOrgreave Truth And Justice Campaign and its supporters and I have set out in a letter to them today the detailed reasons for my decision which include the following points.

"Despite the forceful accounts and arguments provided by the campaigners and former miners who were present that day, about the effect that these events have had on them, ultimately there were no deaths or wrongful convictions.

"The campaigners say that had the consequences of the events at Orgreavebeen addressed properly at the time, the tragic events at Hillsborough would never have happened five years later.

"That is not a conclusion which I believe can be reached with any certainty."

The South Yorkshire 'battle' became one of the most infamous showdowns between pickets and police during national miners' strike.

It is alleged by campaigners police action on the day was heavy handed and statements were manufactured to discredit those involved.

Momentum for an Orgreave inquiry has escalated since conclusion of the Hillsborough inquests earlier this year.

Among those disappointed will be Barbara Jackson, secretary of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, who said before the decision: "We trust that Amber Rudd will announce the only right decision, namely that there must be an inquiry into what happened at Orgreave and after it.

"These events are too serious to let them lie."

Similarly Labour MP Andy Burnham had said: "It is essential that the Orgreave campaign are consulted about the membership of the panel and its terms of reference."