MP's call for coalfield communities to get justice - 30 years after the last pit closed

Decades of injustice for Britain’s miners have been highlighted by Easington MP Graeme Morris.

He spoke at a debate in the House of Commons, as reported in the Sunderland Echo, and then commented afterwards.

30 years on and the suffering continues

He said 30 years had passed since the last East Durham pit had shut yet coalfield communities were still facing challenges.

Mr Morris led a House of Commons Backbench Business Debate which called for justice for miners and mining communities.

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.

Failing to deliver on promises

After 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.”

He spoke about the promise of a full investigation into the miners' strike and events at Orgreave, and said it would ‘be welcomed by those who have lived with this historic injustice for far too long.

Injustices and challenges

“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.” This week has been a busy one for Mr Morris and campaigners for the Mineworkers Pension Scheme.

Marching on behalf of thousands of former miners

They marched on Downing Street earlier this week.

He said at the time: “Miners endure chronic health conditions stemming from their years in the pits, resulting in shorter lives and retirements marred by industrial disease.”

Joining Mr Morris at the head of the march was former Murton miner Bert Moncur who worked at Murton Colliery from 1974 until its closure in 1991. He said it may be the last time that such a march could take place.

He said successive governments had taken billions of pounds from the pension scheme.