Sunak backs calls to strip ex-post office chief's CBE over horizon scandal

The Prime Minister backed the calls of more than one million people left outraged that the former executive holds an honour for services to the industry.

More than 700 Post Office branch managers were convicted after faulty Fujitsu accounting software Horizon made it look like money was missing from their shops.

He vowed the Government will do ­“everything we can” to help the hundreds of victims after their “appalling” treatment at the hands of what was one of the ­country’s most trusted institutions.

Speaking to voters during a visit to Lancashire, Mr Sunak said: “I would say that over the last few years my predecessors started the process of doing that, had the inquiry.

“Actually, as Chancellor, I approved the compensation schemes for the first time which are now in the process of being paid out and almost £150million has been paid out to thousands of people.”

“So people should know that we are on it and we want to make this right, that money has been set aside.”

“What we are now looking at is how can we speed all of that up.”

“We will do everything we can to make this right for the people affected. It is simply wrong what happened, they shouldn’t have been treated like this.”

Downing Street later said Mr Sunak would “strongly support” the Honours Forfeiture Committee if it chose to look into revoking Ms Vennells’ CBE.

She ran the Post Office while it routinely denied there was a problem with its Horizon IT system.

Ms Vennells previously said she is “truly sorry for the suffering caused to wrongly prosecute sub-postmasters and their families”.

But she has remained silent in the face of the public outpouring of anger following the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office.

Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister shares the public’s feeling of outrage on this issue.”

“He would strongly support the Forfeiture Committee if it chose to review the case. It is a decision for the committee, rather than the Government.”

Sir Keir Starmer called for prosecution powers to be stripped from the Post Office and previous ­convictions to be looked at again.

The Labour leader said: “It might be possible to get these cases back before the Court of Appeal quickly – I’ve done that when I was a prosecutor – but whichever way it’s done, these convictions need to be looked at.” The Post Office is wholly owned by the Government and a public inquiry into Horizon is ongoing.

Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland said there needs to be an “exceptional response” to the Post Office scandal with the introduction of “a particularly ­special law to end this injustice”.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk and Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake met ­yesterday to discuss ways to help the ­victims of the scandal.

Mr Hollinrake they had “devised some options” with Mr Chalk for “resolving” the outstanding criminal convictions much more quickly. In a Commons statement ­he told MPs the Government was “already ­a long way” down the road in helping ­the victims.

But he said the ITV drama “has only ­reinforced our zeal for seeing justice done as quickly as possible”.

He added: “We have devised some options for resolving the outstanding ­criminal convictions much more quickly.

“The Lord Chancellor will need to speak to ­senior figures in the judiciary about those options before we put them forward.”

“But I am confident we shall be able to implement measures which address the ­concerns expressed by the advisory board. I hope that the Government shall be able to announce these proposals to the House in due course.”

Mr Hollinrake said the ­Government was also ­looking at the way the Post Office was allowed to pursue ­private prosecutions against the sub-postmasters.

And he insisted that the Government recognised “we have a clear moral duty to right these wrongs to the best of our ability”.

He added: “We have been clear that it should not be the taxpayer alone who picks up the tab. We will wait for the inquiry to report to make clear the extent any other organisation’s culpability for the scandal.”

“Our aim is to ensure every victim is fully recompensed for their losses and the ­suffering they have had to endure.” Mr Hollinrake paid tribute to the postmasters who have died since the scandal came to light.

He said: “We stand united not just in memory of those who have suffered but in shared purpose to ensure such a tragedy will never happen again.”

Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake said he has “devised some options” with Justice Secretary Alex Chalk for “resolving” the outstanding criminal convictions much more quickly.

But he said the plans would need to be put to senior judges before they are pushed forward.

In a Commons statement he told MPs the government is “already a long way” down the road of helping the victims but said the ITV drama “has only reinforced our zeal for seeing justice done as quickly as possible”.

He added: “We have devised some options for resolving the outstanding criminal convictions much more quickly. The Lord Chancellor will, quite rightly, need to speak to senior figures in the judiciary about those options before we put them forward.

“But I am confident that we shall be able to implement measures which address the concerns expressed by the advisory board. I hope that the Government shall be able to announce these proposals to the House in due course.”

Mr Hollinrake said the government is also looking at the way the Post Office was allowed to pursue private prosecutions against the sub-postmasters.

He said it is not a special power of the Post Office but the issue will be given “proper and thoughtful consideration”.

Mr Hollinrake insisted the government recognises that “we have a clear moral duty to right these wrongs to the best of our ability”.

“We have been clear that it should not be the taxpayer alone who picks up the tab. We will wait for the Inquiry to report to make clear the extent any other organisation’s culpability for the scandal, he said.”

“Our aim in all of this is to ensure that every victim is fully recompensed for their losses and the suffering they have had to endure.”

Hollinrake, the Post Office minister, goes on to announce that retired High Court judge Sir Gary Hickinbottom will chair an independent panel to oversee any disputes relating to compensation for sub-postmasters whose convictions have been overturned.

He runs through some of the figures of compensation paid so far, but says this is not just about compensation, it’s about restoration “of people’s good names and the public’s trust in the postal system and in the justice system”.

Therefore, it is only right that we get to the bottom of what went wrong, who knew what and when, he says, adding that while the scale of the problem is immense, the government is ready to tackle it and “leave no stone unturned in pursuit of justice.”

He paid tribute to the postmasters who have died since the scandal came to light.

“We stand united not just in memory of those who have suffered but in shared purpose to ensure such a tragedy can never and will never happen again,” he concludes.