The South Wales Argus greeted the Prime Minister’s enforced Cabinet reshuffle with a front page open letter to new energy minister Peter Hain.

Neath MP Mr Hain now has the responsibility for overseeing the £1.5bn compensation scheme for ex-miners.

The Argus has been running an 18-month Justice for Miners campaign aimed at securing speedier pay-outs for 27,000 sick and dying Welsh ex-miners.

Just a handful of them have received money three years after a settlement was agreed.

The complexity of the compensation agreement means many will have to wait up to five years for their pay-outs. Most are suffering the severe later stages of work-related chest diseases.

The campaign, backed by a 25,000-strong petition, calls for immediate interim payments of £10,000 to all validated claimants, with paperwork and further claims sorted out at a later date.

The Argus proposal led to series of clashes with Mr Hain’s predecessor Helen Liddell, the new Scottish Secretary.

The open letter outlined the Argus campaign and urged Mr Hain: “These men need help and justice, and they need it now. We hope you are the man to provide it.”

Editor Gerry Keighley has also sent a personal letter to Mr Hain, requesting an urgent meeting.

Deputy editor Kevin Ward said: “We were determined not to waste any time in getting our message across to Mr Hain.

“While we never doubted Mrs Liddell’s will to get the money to former miners, we were increasingly concerned about her ability to do the job speedily.

“As an anti-apartheid campaigner, we know Mr Hain is a great fighter against injustice. He will not find a greater injustice in modern-day Britain than the issue of compensation for former miners.”

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