Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock has warned that the Government's refusal to hold an Orgreave inquiry will deepen "the justified sense of injustice" in coalfield communities.

Lord Kinnock, who was party leader at the time of the miners' strike, criticised Home Secretary Amber Rudd's decision not to hold a public inquiry into clashes between police and miners at Orgreave.

The Government had promised to govern in the interests of the whole country and should ensure "maximum transparency and accountability for the whole country," he told the Lords.

"Refusal of an inquiry into the battle of Orgreave deepens the justified sense of injustice right across coalfield communities, especially when there are substantiated claims that there was politicised policing and tampering with evidence in the wake of the conflict."

Home Office minister Baroness Williams of Trafford defended the decision and denied that it was "politicised".

She said transparency was "absolutely at the heart of the process" and this was why the Home Secretary had taken so much time to carefully consider the issue before reaching a conclusion.

Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Tebbit, who served in the Thatcher administration at the time of the strike, welcomed the decision, insisting the Home Secretary was following the "very good precedent" set by Labour home secretaries, who, in 13 years in government, saw "no reason for such an inquiry".

He said an inquiry would do "nothing more than enrich lawyers with fat fees".

Lady Williams said it was a very emotive subject with strong views on either side, adding: "You're absolutely right, 32 years have elapsed since Orgreave and no government up to now has made a decision on it."

Former Lord Chief Justice and independent crossbencher Lord Woolf congratulated the Government over the decision, insisting inquiries were not always the best way to look into matters.

"As the years go by they become more and more expensive to investigate events and less and less successful in coming to the right conclusions," he said.

Lady Williams said he was right that an inquiry was not the answer to everything and must only be used in certain careful circumstances. Setting up an inquiry was not required in the public interest.

Another Tory former Cabinet minister Lord King of Bridgwater, who was also in government at the time of the strike, said: "Many mistakes were made on both sides and lessons have since been learned."

Labour former home secretary and ex-Sheffield MP, Lord Blunkett said he understood why people did not want to spend millions on legal fees.

"But there has been evidence produced over the last decade and a genuine feeling that the truth has been withheld.

"Isn't it possible, even at this late hour, to have the kind of very light touch review ... which would avoid the kind of catastrophes of very prolonged inquiries, which often lead to people not being satisfied at the end?" Lord Blunkett said.

Lady Williams said it would be for Parliament to decide if a select committee wanted to take up the issue.

Liberal Democrat Lord Paddick, a former senior Met Police officer, said the Home Secretary had "completely missed the point" about the need for an inquiry.

"We know from Hillsborough that police evidence was changed to put the blame on fans," he said. "The suggestion is that Orgreave was another example of the prevailing culture of the police service at the time, to preserve the reputation of the police at all costs, including, if necessary, altering evidence.

"There is evidence to suggest this may be the culture in some police forces even now. The events of Orgreave cannot be written off as having happened too long ago and lessons can still be learned."

Lady Williams said the Independent Police Complaints Commission had looked at the issue and said any further information that came to light would be considered.