York academic appointed to Orgreave inquiry panel

Posted on Thursday 26 March 2026

Dr Joanna Gilmore, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University, whose research expertise includes public order law, human rights and policing policy, will join the five-person panel tasked with uncovering the truth of the events at Orgreave and their immediate aftermath.

The Inquiry was established by the government to fulfill a manifesto commitment to investigate the confrontation between police, picketers and protesters that left 120 people injured. During the events 42 years ago, 95 picketers were arrested and charged with riot and unlawful assembly, though all charges were later dropped after police evidence was discredited.

In 2012, following the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report, the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign was established to call for a formal inquiry into the events.

Independent and balanced

The panel has been carefully selected to ensure the Inquiry is independent, balanced, and equipped with the necessary expertise. Four panel members will support the Chair of the inquiry, the Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox, the Bishop of Sheffield. 

The Inquiry will focus on securing and disclosing historical material so that the full picture can be understood. It will examine the planning undertaken by the police and government, the events of the day and its aftermath, the charging decisions and collapsed prosecutions, and the lasting impact on individuals and communities.

Drawing on her socio-legal and historical research into the 1984-85 miners’ strike, Dr Gilmore will provide her expert analysis of the broader societal, legal and political issues arising from the events at Orgreave.

Full and transparent

Dr Gilmore said: “It is a privilege to join this panel and work alongside colleagues with such a breadth of experience and expertise. I am committed to supporting the Chair in delivering the terms of reference and ensuring a full and transparent account of the events at Orgreave is finally established.”

Minister of State for Policing and Crime, Sarah Jones MP, said: “For more than four decades miners, their families and their communities have lived with unanswered questions about what happened at Orgreave. Today we have delivered on our promise to these tireless campaigners to ensure the facts finally come to light. 

“The terms of the Inquiry have been shaped by the Chair’s close engagement with campaigners, and they place transparency at the very heart of the panel’s work. 

“I am confident that they will bring the independence, expertise and balance needed to uncover the truth of what happened – however difficult that truth may be.”

The panel will begin its work immediately.