Post Office Scandal: Kemi Badenoch hits back at Henry Stanton

Business Minister Kemi Badenoch has hit back at former Post Office chairman Henry Stanton's claims about why he resigned.

But Ms Badenoch said the comments were a “shameful misrepresentation” of their conversation.

Mr Stanton also said he was told to delay payments to victims of the Post Office scandal, a claim the government denies.

Hundreds of subpostmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 over a faulty Horizon IT system, in what has been called the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history.

Mr Stanton was appointed Postal Service chairman in December 2022 but resigned last month after Mr Badenoch said “new leadership” was needed to tackle the scandal.

Mr Stanton told the Sunday Times he first heard about his sacking when he was called up by Sky News. He then spoke to Ms Badenoch on the phone.

Stanton also told the newspaper that soon after he joined the Post Office, he was told by senior civil servants to slow down the pace of compensation payments, apparently to help the government's finances.

“Early on, I was told by a very senior person that we were going to be stuck with spending on reparations and Mr. Horizon's replacement, and to drag our feet into the election in quotation marks — and I'm not going to file that. “I took notes – limping into the election,” he said. paper.

“It wasn't an anti-postmaster general thing, it was just a financial thing. I didn't ask, because I said, 'I'm not involved in it, I'm not voting. I’m not here to drag you down, it’s not an election.’ It’s the right thing for the postmaster general to do.”

In a long post about XMs Badenoch, formerly of Twitter, said Mr Stanton's comments were a “disgraceful misrepresentation of my conversations with him and the reasons for his dismissal”.

“Rather than “taking the wraps,'' Mr. Stanton was fired because of very serious allegations, including blocking an investigation into his conduct while Postmaster General.

“Mr Henry Stanton was not strong enough to bring justice to the Postmaster General. My serious concerns about his conduct were the reason I asked him to resign,” she added.

She said her conversations with him were conducted with authorities, who kept a “full record.” She added that a “truth-telling” statement would be released tomorrow.

Earlier, a government spokesperson said the government “absolutely” refuted Mr Stanton's claims about delayed compensation payments.

“The government has accelerated compensation for victims and has consistently encouraged postmaster generals and others to make their claims known,” the spokesperson said.

“It would be wrong to suggest that any actions or conversations were contrary to this. In fact, upon his appointment, Mr. Stanton had a specific written goal of focusing on reconciliation with plaintiffs. This is clear evidence of government intent.”

A spokesperson for Mr Stanton told the BBC that his client would not comment further but supported the allegations made in the Sunday Times.

He also said there was no investigation into Stanton.

Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'The Horizon case is widely accepted to be one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

“Compensation to victims should not be delayed under any circumstances and doing so for party political purposes would be a further insult to the Postmaster General.

“Labour has called for all postmasters to be exonerated and compensation to be paid immediately so victims can bring closure to this horrific chapter.”

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said Mr Stanton's claims were “deeply worrying” and called on ministers to explain to Parliament exactly what happened “at the earliest opportunity”. .

The slow pace of overturning convictions and paying compensation has led to calls for a blanket exoneration of those affected.

Mr Stanton told the Sunday Times that Post Office chief executive Nick Reid had written to Attorney General Alex Chalk and that a legal opinion from Post Office lawyers Peters & Peters had issued more than 300 complaints. He said the conviction in the case was supported by evidence unrelated to the Horizon case. software.

“They were basically trying to undermine the claim of innocence,” Stanton said. “It was, ‘Most people are not coming forward because they are guilty as charged.’ So think very carefully about exoneration.”

A Post Office spokesperson said: “We are fully aware of the terrible impact of this horrific scandal and miscarriage of justice.”

“We refute both the allegations brought to us and the words and phrases allegedly used, support the government's plans for speedy justice and redress for victims, and affirm the truth of what happened. “We are focused on assisting the investigation to uncover the facts,” they said. .

The spokesperson added: “The Postal Service has not sought to persuade the government to oppose collective exoneration. We remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting faster justice and redress for victims. There is,” he added.