May government ‘pushed for Paula Vennells CBE despite concerns over Post Office scandal’

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Theresa May’s government reportedly pushed by means of a CBE for disgraced former Post Office boss Paula Vennells despite concerns over her function within the Horizon IT scandal.

Ms Vennells, who gave up the honour this week after a public outcry over the scandal, was nominated by the Department for Business.

She was then mentioned by the primary honours committee in October 2018, as a joint motion by 555 wrongly-persecuted post-masters was about to be tried within the High Court.

At least one member of the committee questioned plans to award Ms Vennells a CBE amid rising outrage on the scandal, sources informed the Sunday Times.

The Post Office Horizon IT scandal has come underneath the highlight following the discharge of ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

More than 700 Post Office department managers got legal convictions after defective Fujitsu accounting software program known as Horizon made it seem as if cash was lacking from their outlets.

Despite concerns being raised about Ms Vennells’ honour, Sir Ian Cheshire, who chaired the committee recommending her for a CBE, “brushed them aside”, sources informed the paper.

One mentioned Ms Vennells was being rewarded for taking a tricky method to the scandal to maintain prices down for the Post Office, together with refusing to acknowledge wrongdoing in direction of postmasters.

“This was her reward for bending her conscience and holding the line,” the supply informed the Sunday Times.

Another mentioned ministers noticed Ms Vennells as “clearing up rather than being the cause” of the scandal she had “inherited”.

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.

But in a press release on Tuesday, she mentioned she was “truly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub-postmasters and their families” and gave up the honour.

More than 1 million folks had signed a petition calling for her to lose the CBE within the wake of the ITV drama.

Questions have additionally been raised about why she was in a position to maintain a job as a director within the Cabinet Office after her involvement within the scandal was uncovered.

A spokeswoman for Ms May informed the Sunday Times: “The honours system is an independent process which awards honours to more than 2,000 people each year. Recipients are announced biannually and each recommendation is considered by one of ten honours committees with the final list being agreed by the Main Honours Committee.

“As prime minister, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, always respected the independence of this system but thinks it is right that Paula Vennells has handed back her CBE.”