The former Chairman of the Post Office has alleged a senior civil servant instructed him to ‘stall’ on compensating wrongfully convicted sub-postmasters so the government could ‘limp into’ the next general election.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Henry Staunton said the purpose of this was to ensure the current government had the least possible financial liability for the scandal.
He also said the Post Office remains plagued by a ‘toxic’ culture including continuing mistrust of subpostmasters and suspicions, despite revelations about the Horizon scandal, that some may be ‘digging into the till drawers’.
Staunton’s interview also revealed that the Post Office continues to employ over 40 investigators who were instrumental in prosecuting the victims of the largest miscarriage of justice in British history. They are known within the organisation as ‘the untouchables’.
Staunton was unceremoniously sacked by the Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, in December. In his recollection of this conversation Badenoch referred to the Horizon scandal, saying ‘someone’s got to take the rap for this’. Badenoch’s department said this characterisation of the conversation was ‘simply incorrect’.
Staunton, who was in his post for a year, has also criticised the current compensation schemes for those who were wrongfully convicted. He has described them as ‘terribly bureaucratic’, ‘terribly pedantic’, ‘terribly unhelpful’ and ‘terribly unsympathetic’.
In a statement provided to the Sunday Times, a government spokesperson said: ‘We utterly refute these allegations. The government has sped up compensation to victims, and consistently encouraged postmasters to come forward with their claims. To suggest any actions or conversations happened to the contrary is incorrect.’
The Shadow Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said on X: ‘These are extremely serious allegations about the government’s management of the Post Office and treatment of victims of the Horizon scandal. We will be seeking answers when parliament resumes this week.’
The vast majority of the victims of the scandal, brought to greater public attention through a recent ITV drama, are yet to be compensated for their ordeal.
