Amber Rudd expected to give decision on Orgreave inquiry

Home Secretary Amber Rudd is expected to announce whether there will be an inquiry into the notorious clash between police and miners at Orgreave.

She is understood to have told campaigners that she will decide by the end of the month whether to investigate the conduct of South Yorkshire Police during the violent incident in 1984.

The decision comes after the Hillsborough victims urged her on Sunday not to limit the inquiry to a private review, asking for a commitment to an open hearing.

Campaigners said police were excessively heavy-handed during the incident. Credit: PA

The Battle of Orgreave was one of the most notorious showdowns between strikers and police during the miners' strike.

Campaigners say that police action was heavy handed and that statements were made up to discredit those involved.

Calls for an inquiry into Orgreave have mounted since the Hillsborough inquests provided a scathing assessment of the police force's behaviour during the 1988 disaster.

Police officers in riot gear move towards the picket line at Orgreave. Credit: PA

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said it would be "shameful" if the Government failed to announce an independent inquiry.

Barbara Jackson, secretary of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, said at the weekend the Home Secretary must avoid the "mistakes" of previous inquiries that had "disappointed".

Labour MP Andy Burnham, who has supported both the Hillsborough families and the miners of Orgreave, said he would speak out in the Commons if the Government falls short of the campaigners' demands.