The injustice suffered by the men of the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead is not just a story rooted in Merseyside – it speaks to working-class communities across our country. It is a story about dignity in work, the strength of organised labour and the lasting scars of industrial decline.

Now that we have a Labour government in power, we must honour previous promises, deliver on commitments and ensure these workers and their families finally receive the recognition and justice they deserve.

In the summer of 1984, in the midst of soaring unemployment and the rapid decline of Britain’s manufacturing base, a group of 37 shipyard workers at Cammell Laird embarked on a courageous stand. They peacefully occupied a gas rig and blockaded a Royal Navy destroyer in defence of jobs, livelihoods and the future of their community. They dared to stand up in the face of redundancy announcements and government-driven industrial change. The only ‘crime’ they committed was defending their jobs and the ship-building heritage of Merseyside.

But their bold stand was met with heavy-handed state action. They were threatened with dismissal, denied redundancy rights and pensions, and ultimately arrested and imprisoned. Their convictions remain to this day and some of the men have died without seeing their names cleared. The injustice remains unaddressed.

Mick Whitley, former MP for Birkenhead whose brother was among the jailed 37, has said of the scandal: ‘What happened in 1984 was a grave injustice, and it needs putting right. The Cammell Laird workers weren’t looking for trouble – they were fighting for their jobs, their community, and the future of the shipyard. They wanted work, not redundancy. For over forty years they’ve carried the burden of that injustice, and now it’s time to fix it. We need the full support of this Labour government to finally deliver the justice and recognition these men and their families deserve.’

Earlier this year, at the Labour Party Conference 2025 in Liverpool, the campaign for the Cammell Laird 37 held a crucial meeting under the banner ‘Jobs not Jail – more than 40 years since the Cammell Laird dispute.’

Kim Johnson MP

Workers, campaigners and union representatives gathered to renew their call for justice from the new Labour government. The fact that the campaign had a visible platform at our conference is itself a sign of progress – but a meeting alone is simply not enough.

Billy Albertina, leader of the Cammell Laird 37, said at the meeting, ‘I want to continue with the fight for justice. We as a group took the Thatcher government on and fought for our jobs along with many other workers at that time in the 80s, and we were jailed for fighting to save those jobs.’ He added that many of those involved has since dies, and ‘we need to have their names cleared and convictions set aside’, as well as for compensation to granted to the strikers and their families.

This Labour government has already shown it is committed to dealing with injustices with the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, the Hillsborough Law, now progressing through Parliament and an Orgreave inquiry announced, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to act. This is the moment we move from words to action, to honour promises and deliver tangible justice for these men and their families.

That means formally recognising that the prosecutions of the Cammell Laird 37 were politically motivated, unjust and symptomatic of an era of wilful industrial decline.  Their case stands, alongside Orgreave and the Shrewsbury pickets, as one of the defining examples of state overreach against organised labour.

Clearing the names of the Cammell Laird 37 will not undo the past – some of the men are sadly no longer with us – but it will deliver long overdue recognition, dignity, closure and set the record straight for future generations.

This is not just about one shipyard dispute. It is about how we treat workers who stand up for themselves and their communities, how we value industrial heritage and how our government chooses to address historic injustices. The campaign of the Cammell Laird 37 reminds us that the struggles of the 1980s continue to have relevance today.

As the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, I will continue to stand with the families and campaigners until justice is finally delivered.