CONFIDENTIAL files detailing the discussions Margaret Thatcher had in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster are to be made public.

The Government was last night ordered to publish documents relating to the tragedy provided to the then prime minister, as well as minutes of meetings she attended on the matter.

Despite a 30-year ban on records of cabinet discussions being made available, it was ruled last night that the information should be released in the public interest.

The files, which are thought to include reports presented to the prime minister and correspondence with home secretary Douglas Hurd, could unmask Mrs Thatcher’s thoughts on the 1989 stadium disaster which claimed the lives of 96 LFC fans.

The publication of the papers would precede the findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel, which is in the process of deciding what information to release to the public.

Margaret Aspinall, chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, welcomed the decision but said it must not detract from the panel’s work.

She said: “This is another small piece in the jigsaw and it needs to be fitted into the bigger picture being established by the panel.

“We welcome it because we have been asking for this for 22 years. The simple fact is we should never have had to wait this long.”

The judgement was made by Information Commissioner Christopher Graham in response to a Freedom of Information request from the BBC, refused by the Cabinet Office in 2009.

He reversed that decision, claiming that “the information in question would add to public knowledge and understanding about the reaction of various parties to that event, including the government of the day, in the early aftermath [of the disaster]”.