by Julian Mann, TCW
ARCHBISHOP of York Stephen Cottrell is loyally defending the Bishop of Sheffield, Pete Wilcox, who is coming under growing criticism for heading the public inquiry into the ‘Battle of Orgreave’ during the 1984 miners’ strike. But how can the Church of England justify judging the conduct of police officers at an event which was part of the agenda by the then leader of the National Union of Mineworkers, Arthur Scargill, to overthrow the democratically elected Conservative government of the 1980s?
A spokesman for Archbishop Cottrell said: ‘The Archbishop considers this appointment [of Bishop Wilcox to chair the Orgreave Inquiry] a natural extension of episcopal ministry in the public square, following the example of Bishop James Jones serving on the Hillsborough Independent Panel. He holds Bishop Pete in his prayers and is grateful for his willingness to serve in this way.’
When he was Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones led the panel that in 2012 produced its report into the Hillsborough football stadium disaster in 1989, which resulted in the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans. Inspired by his example, Bishop Wilcox tried in 2019 to persuade the Conservative government to let him head a public inquiry into the clash between police and striking coal miners at the Orgreave coking plant in South Yorkshire. The then Home Secretary Sajid Javid turned Bishop Wilcox down.
But when Labour were elected last year with a manifesto commitment to launch an Orgreave inquiry, Bishop Pete found himself preaching to the choir. He told the media when Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the statutory inquiry on July 21 that he would be tough but fair:
‘I look forward to engaging with stakeholders in the coming weeks over the draft terms of reference, and to working with the government to identify experts to support me on the independent panel. I expect the panel to begin its work in the autumn, and we will endeavour to deliver an inquiry which is thorough and fair, and which will uncover what happened at Orgreave as swiftly as possible.’