The Shrewsbury 24 deserve to know what really went on in 1972

In 1972, after an industrial dispute in the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury, 24 men were prosecuted under the ancient 1875 Conspiracy Act. Ever since then, the 24, their family and friends protest their innocence and have tirelessly fought their convictions. It’s become a cause célèbre for the trade union movement.

There have long been suspicions of murky political interference in the trial. Many have accused the then Tory Government of orchestrating a show trial.  Yet, time and again, demands for the truth have hit a brick wall.

Campaigners have tirelessly fought for information they believe will cast doubt on the prosecutions to be brought into the public domain. All the 24 want are the facts of what happened and who was involved. It’s the least they deserve. But they’ve been rebuffed. Information on the trial has remained secret.

I pay tribute to those who’ve valiantly campaigned on the behalf of the Shrewsbury 24. The trade union movement – and particularly UCATT and UNITE have been formidable. The Daily Mirror has long championed the cause of the 24. Between them, they’ve never given up on their comrades. They’ve kept the campaign alive with their belief that what happened was a miscarriage of justice. The magnificent Ricky Tomlinson has never given up protesting his innocence and that of the other 23. Let’s not forget he and others ended up in prison as a result of the trial.

If there are facts that might shed new light on what happened then it is important these are made available to campaigners. I passionately believe governments have a duty to make public anything that might cast doubt on historical convictions. Confidence in our justice system is precious and we can’t afford for miscarriages of justice to damage the reputation of our public institutions.

That’s why the 24 deserve to know what really went on back in 1972.

We need to know if Des Warren, Ricky Tomlinson and others were wrongly jailed. Those imprisoned should have the opportunity to see all documentation in the government’s possession on what happened. So, after four decades, the time has come for the full details to be made public. That’s why the next Labour government will publish all the papers concerning the Shrewsbury 24 trials and place them in the public domain. No ifs, no buts. All of the papers the Shrewsbury 24 have been denied access to.

This commitment is at the heart of Labour’s work manifesto.

We’ve also promised to set up a full inquiry to examine the issue of blacklisting which is a stain on our industrial relations. We’ll abolish this Government’s employment tribunal fee system that has done so much damage to workplace justice. And we’ll ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and scrap this Government’s ‘shares for rights’ scheme.

Tackling workplace injustice was one of the founding principles of the Labour movement. It still stands today. That’s why we are determined to publish all of the papers relating to the trials. We will give the campaigners the transparency they deserve. Only then can we finally get answers to the 24’s questions.

Sadiq Khan is the Shadow Justice Secretary​