Easington MP Grahame Morris led a House of Commons Backbench Business Debate calling for justice for miners and mining communities.

During the debate, Mr. Morris highlighted the ongoing challenges and injustices faced by coalfield communities, despite the passage of three decades since the last pit closed in East Durham.

He called upon the Government to address failures in levelling up, reform the mineworkers’ pension scheme, and investigate the strike while seeking pardons for those wrongfully convicted.

Speaking following the debate, Mr Morris said:

“There was a consensus that the Government should stop taking money out of the miners’ pension scheme, which was only broken by the Minister’s hostile response to the debate.

The moral case for reform is won, and I appreciate the commitment by Labour to work with campaigners and their families as we prepare to set out our full plans ahead of the General Election.

The promise of a full investigation into the miners’ strike and events at Orgreave, will be welcomed by those who have lived with this historic injustice for far too long. I hope the Miners Pardons Bill, already in place in Scotland, will be extended to cover England and Wales.

This Government will be held accountable at the next election for failing to deliver on their promises to our coalfield communities, and it will fall to Labour to correct the injustices and challenges our communities continue to face.”