Pressure grows on former Post Office boss

Hi

A scoop for Tom Witherow from the Daily Mail: on the thisismoney website, Tom reports that the advisory group Pirc has recommended Dunelm shareholders vote Paula Vennells off their board, citing ‘serious concerns’ about her ‘suitability’ to act as a director of a major company.

For those who may be relatively new to this story, Paula Vennells was made Post Office MD in 2011 and became its CEO in 2012. She has consistently washed her hands of any culpability for the Horizon scandal and was given a CBE whilst she was in post. Ms Vennells is currently the subject of an investigation into her appointment by the NHS Trust she now chairs, and a CQC investigation into whether she is a fit and proper person.

Read Tom’s piece here.

Bates v Post Office – remember that?

Two years ago today we were on the eve of the first Bates v Post Office trial at the High Court. As a curtain-raiser, I wrote a long-ish piece detailing many of the arguments. It’s so strange to read it now – it feels like ancient history, but it should act as a reminder how determined the Post Office and government were to avoid responsibility for their destruction of peoples’ lives and livelihoods.

You can read the preview here.

A Prize for Patrick

Patrick Green is officially the country’s best barrister, according to the Lawyer Magazine. Patrick (who appears to have a newly-minted twitter account) is the QC from Henderson chambers who led the team which slowly dismantled the Post Office’s arguments at the High Court and helped the Postmasters win their case. I watched him in action over the course of two trials and his award is very well deserved. Why not send him a message via twitter? I’m sure he’d be chufffed.

Transparent whitewash?

Sir Wyn Williams has responded to representations after I raised concerns about the Post Office Horizon inquiry’s approach to transparency and media scrutiny. On 29 October, writing to the BBC, Daily Mail, FT, Press Association, Computer Weekly and others, Sir Wyn said: “I have considered all your representations with care and I will set out my approach to the issues you have raised in a public announcement which I intend to make early next month.”

Yesterday, Sir Wyn published an 18-page “Statement of Approach”. You can read it on the gov.uk website.

The Ombudsman Offensive

As terms of redress for Subpostmasters is outside the scope of Sir Wyn’s inquiry, the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance is not engaging with the process, preferring instead to complain to the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

According to Karl Flinders from Computer Weekly, the preliminary to this process is a complaint direct to the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Read more in Karl’s piece here.

First journalist on the moon

Well, not quite, but the first journalist on the Horizon story was Rebecca Thomson. If you missed my short interview with her, do please have a read. It involves an incident whereby Rebecca was mysteriously warned off talking to me by someone claiming to be from the Post Office.

That’s all for now. Have a great weekend.

Best

Nick