But Mrs Castle was taken under the wing of Stafford Cripps, a wealthy socialist lawyer.

ECONOMIST: Barbara Castle

Stafford Cripps, Harold Wilson, Jim Callaghan, Selwyn Lloyd, Reggie Maudling: a roll-call of failure.

ECONOMIST: Sir Alec Cairncross

Parliament debated a motion calling for improvements to working conditions in the mines and Sir Stafford Cripps called for the nationalisation of the industry which came about 10 years later.

BBC: Albert Rowlands has not been down a mine since the disaster