Post Office scandal: Paula Vennells hands back CBE after petition – latest

Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells is handy back her CBE following the fallout of the Horizon IT scandal which led to the wrongful prosecution of lots of of subpostmasters.

The former chief government, who ran the Post Office whereas it routinely denied there was an issue with its Horizon IT system, was appointed a CBE in December 2018.

It comes after calls for for her to return the honour intensified after an ITV drama returned the widespread miscarriage of justice to the highlight.

“I continue to support and focus on co-operating with the Inquiry and expect to be giving evidence in the coming months,” she mentioned in a press release. “I have so far maintained my silence as I considered it inappropriate to comment publicly while the Inquiry remains ongoing and before I have provided my oral evidence.

“I am, however, aware of the calls from subpostmasters and others to return my CBE. I have listened and I confirm that I return my CBE with immediate effect.

“I am truly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub-postmasters and their families, whose lives were torn apart by being wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted as a result of the Horizon system.”

She added: “I now intend to continue to focus on assisting the Inquiry and will not make any further public comment until it has concluded.”

The Liberal Democrats’ deputy chief Daisy Cooper mentioned Paula Vennells was “right” handy back her CBE – however claimed that the Conservatives “still need to explain why they gave it to her in the first place in 2019, along with a plum job at the top of the Cabinet Office”.

She added: “Oliver Dowden needs to explain why he failed to sack Paula Vennells as a Cabinet Office director when the high court judgment was handed down in 2019, exposing her full involvement in the Horizon scandal.”

Lord Arbuthnot, the campaigning Tory peer who sits on the Horizon compensation advisory board, has mentioned Paula Vennells’s resolution to offer back her CBE is “the right thing” to do.

He advised Sky News: “I’m pleased this has now happened because it means the sub-postmasters can begin to concentrate on the wider picture of getting convictions overturned… and getting their compensation quickly.

“Then we can focus on the holding to account of those including Paula Vennells, who have put them through this.”

Robin Priestley, campaigns director at 38 Degrees, mentioned the profitable on-line petition which gained 1.2 million signatures was “an incredible example of people power in action”.

“This is a huge symbolic step, but there’s still so much more to do,” he mentioned. “Now it’s time for full compensation, pardons, and accountability for all those responsible.”

Petition starter David Smith, 35, a former software program developer from Greater Manchester, mentioned: “To me, the removal of the CBE is just the start. What I’m hoping is that as soon as somebody as senior as her is held accountable at this level, it will start a domino effect that will lead to the justice and compensation that everyone affected deserves.”

Once topped the youngest sub-postmaster in Britain, in 2006 on the age of 18, Mr Head’s tenure got here to an abrupt finish when he was accused of theft and fraud by the Post Office in 2015.

Mr Head was left unable to search out work after the accusation and felt his solely possibility was to depart his dwelling in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and search work overseas in Greece.

Upon listening to the information that Paula Vennell’s has handed back her CBE, the now 36-yr-outdated advised The Independent that he thinks the transfer is “long overdue”.

“I think it is long overdue, why it has taken so long to hand it,” he mentioned. “It is only through outrage of the drama and millions of signatures that has forced her to hand it back.”

“What that has done is take the focus away from the victims, who are still awaiting proper redress and the remaining convictions overturned.

“Those are the people we need to focus on and her failure to do the right thing over the last few years has meant political resources have had to be used to try to get it taken back from her.”

Justice secretary Alex Chalk advised senior Tory Robert Buckland that he agreed that the scandal amounted to “truly exceptional circumstances” – calling it “the most serious miscarriage of justice since the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six”.

Hinting that the federal government might back the laws that Mr Buckland and others are calling for, the justice secretary mentioned “it will need an appropriate resolution”.

However, senior Tory Sir Bob Neill, Tory chair of the Commons justice secretary, mentioned Mr Chalk ought to make certain that dashing up present appeals course of couldn’t provide decision inside an “acceptable timeframe”.

Mr Chalk mentioned the federal government would solely introduce laws if it had “exhausted all alternatives before taking radical action”.

Fujitsu has been known as to reply questions from MPs on an influential choose committee subsequent week over its position within the Horizon scandal.

The Japanese know-how enterprise manufactured the defective Horizon pc system on the coronary heart of the scandal, which led to the wrongful conviction of lots of of subpostmasters.

The Business and Trade Committee mentioned the Government’s Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake has confirmed he’ll attend the proof session on Tuesday January 16.

Alan Bates, the previous subpostmaster who introduced a declare in opposition to the Post Office and was the topic of a latest ITV drama, has additionally been invited to attend the committee.

No 10 has hinted that the federal government might assessment whether or not Fujitsu – the corporate on the centre of the Horizon scandal storm – will get authorities contracts in future.

Rishi Sunak’s spokesman mentioned on Tuesday that Fujitsu shall be “held accountable”, legally or financially, if the continued public inquiry finds it blundered within the IT scandal.

But the PM’s spokesman didn’t say the federal government would cease awarding contracts – saying solely that firms’ conduct was “in general” could be thought-about as a part of the procurement course of.“

In general, we consider companies’ conduct as part of the formal procurement process,” mentioned the No 10 official. “So once the full facts have been established by the inquiry, we will make further judgments but it’s important we allow that process to take place.”

A former subpostmistress has mentioned she is “glad” ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells has handed her CBE back, including: “It’s a shame it took just a million people to cripple her conscience.”

Jo Hamilton, who was wrongfully convicted in 2008 of stealing hundreds of kilos from the village store in South Warnborough, Hampshire, advised the PA information company: “It shows the people have spoken – about everything really.

“It’s not just about her CBE, it’s about how disgusting the whole thing is.

“We’re all sick and tired of people taking money, being paid exorbitant amounts of money, and politicians taking absolutely no notice of you whatsoever… I think the people are just sick of it.”

She added: “I’m glad she’s given it back.

“It’s a shame it took just a million people to cripple her conscience.”