Files relating to government discussions that took place in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster are set to be made public.

The government has been ordered to release documents that were provided to the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher after Information Commissioner Christopher Graham ruled that the information should be released in the public interest.

The files are believed to include reports relating to Hillsborough that were provided to Mrs Thatcher, minutes of meetings she attended and correspondence with then Home Secretary Douglas Hurd.

Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, has welcomed the ruling.

She said: "We have always wanted to see the minutes of Mrs Thatcher's meetings but when we asked we were always told there were no minutes taken.

"I find it quite strange that now the minutes are going to be released. Yet again I feel we have been lied to."

The government now has either 28 days to appeal or 35 days in which to release the files.