Tens of thousands of men went on strike to defend their livelihoods against a government that branded them ‘the enemy within’.

The strike devastated coalfield communities and decimated the industry that our town was built on.

This was a defining moment for Barnsley and it is right that we remember the strength and solidarity of striking miners and their families who faced immense hardship and, ultimately, the loss of their livelihoods.

As the MP for Barnsley East, I have been proud to campaign for justice for miners’ pensions and I will continue to advocate for the thousands of retired miners’ who worked in dangerous and dirty conditions to keep the country’s lights on.

Every year, there are events in Barnsley to remember those who went to work and didn’t come home.

This picture of the Grimethorpe Memorial sits on my desk in Westminster.