Sir Alan Bates has urged victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal to take the Government to court over delays paying out compensation. He was backed by Labour chair of the House of Commons Business Committee Liam Byrne, who said: “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
Former sub-postmaster Sir Alan, a leading campaigner for those wrongly accused by the Post Office, said a judicial review would “probably be the quickest way to ensure fairness for all”. More than 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts. Many are still awaiting compensation despite the previous government announcing that those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000 payouts.
Sir Alan, whose story was told in TV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, told campaigners it would probably take until November 2027 for all claims to be completed. He described the group litigation order (GLO) scheme, set up to achieve redress for the 555 claimants who took the Post Office to the High Court between 2017 and 2019, as a “mess”.
In an email to campaign group the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance (JSFA), he said: “There may be other options but the one which is repeatedly mentioned is a judicial review, not just for the GLO scheme but to include all of the schemes to ensure there is parity in the way victims have, and are, being treated.
“Returning to the courts may seem to be a long haul, but it will probably be (the) quickest way to ensure fairness for all.”
His email added: “I do know many of you who have already settled have done so out of desperation or despair or because you have been backed into a corner to accept an offer.
“Well, a new legal action may well be a way of having your claim reassessed once more, this time by the courts.”
He also said a national fundraising campaign may be needed to cover any potential legal costs.
The House of Commons Business and Trade Committee has written to Trade Minister Gareth Thomas urging the Government to speed up claims. Committee chair Liam Byrne said: “It’s welcome that ministers have doubled redress payments — but that progress is no substitute for finishing the job and getting every single cheque required in the post to every single Horizon victims.
“Our Committee has been crystal clear: justice delayed is justice denied. We’ve laid out precisely what must change to right these wrongs. Now ministers must not just listen, but lead — and turn words into deeds.”
Sub-postmasters were wrongly held responsible for discrepancies in their accounts connected to a Post Office computer system in what became known as the Horizon scandal.
Some were prosecuted and others were pressured into replacing the supposedly missing money from their own savings, without being told that errors in the software or remote tampering may have been to blame.
The Government says compensation of £892 million has now been paid to over 6,200 claimants across all schemes. A total of £1.8 billion has been set aside for claims and Ministers say 76% of those who submitted claims for compensation have received substantial redress.
