Fiona Hyslop welcomes the passing of the Miners’ Strike Pardons Bill in the Scottish Parliament

The Bill seeks to provide pardons to certain individuals who were convicted of certain offences committed during the 1984-85 national miners’ strike. The pardon will apply automatically when the requirements of the pardon are met.

In 2020, Ms Hyslop was part of the Cabinet when it accepted in principle the recommendations outlined in the Independent Review of the 1984-85 miners’ strike to introduce legislation to collectively pardon the actions of miners in relation to the strike.

Ms Hyslop (SNP) said: “I am very glad to see this Bill passed in Parliament. More than three decades have now passed since the main miners’ dispute, but communities are still affected by the unjust and excessive consequences suffered by the miners.

Linlithgow MSP Fiona Hyslop.

“Deep hurt is still felt today by those communities policed during the strike, including those in my own constituency, and that hurt will not just go away.

" I hope that the passing of this Bill goes some way to making right the wrongs committed to those who went on strike to defend their way of life, their jobs, and their future.

“In 2020, I was part of the collective Cabinet decision to accept the recommendation, and I am proud and heartened to see this legislation has now passed.

“We stand by the miners in solidarity, in my Constituency in West Lothian, and beyond.”

Fiona Hyslop MSP

Legislators have recognised that many former miners potentially eligible for the pardon are now elderly or have regrettably died given the passage in time since the strike. As such, the Bill has been developed within an accelerated timescale to enable early introduction in the first year of the new parliamentary session.