MPs call for full compensation for postmasters falsely accused of theft in Horizon scandal
The government should ensure the 555 postmasters wrongly accused of theft in the Horizon scandal receive full compensation, according to MPs on Westminster’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) Committee.
The committee today said it was wrong that some of the victims would be left worse off than others and that everyone involved should get full compensation for their losses.
The postmasters won a 2019 court case, with the High Court ruling that the accused had been victims of computer errors made by the Post Office’s IT system – Horizon.
It came after hundreds of postmasters were falsely prosecuted and many were sent to prison.
The court awarded the postmasters £58m, but £46m was handed over to cover legal fees.
This left around £20,000 for each victim, despite individual losses estimated to be more than £100,000 in some cases.
They were also not allowed to access a £1bn settlement scheme the government handed to the Post Office.
Darren Jones, chair of the Beis committee and Labour MP, said the scandal was “one of the largest miscarriages of justice in British history, subjecting sub-postmasters, postal workers and their families to the most appalling hardship”.
“It is clearly entirely unacceptable that the group of 555 victims who first brought this scandal successfully to court are being left in a worse position than those who are being compensated thanks to their action,” he said.
“There is no valid reason to exclude the 555 from being fully compensated and the chancellor must come forward with the required funding now.
“We have published this interim report on compensation because of the urgency to get this right now.”