Post Office Horizon scandal: Mass exoneration of sub-postmasters ‘right thing to do’ despite concerns over judicial independence, minister says
The UK’s postal services minister says the government is to push ahead with legislation to mass exonerate people wrongly convicted in the Post Office Horizon scandal, despite concerns it will interfere with judicial independence.
It comes after Rishi Sunak announced plans on Wednesday for an act of parliament, which will be introduced within weeks, to overturn hundreds of Post Office convictions.
One lawyer said the legislation risked “riding roughshod” over the judiciary’s independence from the government.
Postal services minister Kevin Hollinrake, speaking to Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, said the government did “not want to interfere with the court and the judicial process”.
However, he said the Post Office scandal was an “exceptional case” and introducing legislation was the right thing to do.
“We have looked at all the alternatives and they would require a very much longer term, much more in-depth process, case by case, exactly what we’re going through now, which has been so slow,” he said.
“So either we choose that option and it goes on for years, or we do this option, and we can resolve this within a few weeks or months.
“And that’s what we want to do. That’s the situation we want to come to.
“These people have been through so much, not just in terms of financial loss, but reputation loss, damage to relationships and health.
“We want to sweep it all aside, so people can get compensated and be exonerated.”
More than 700 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were prosecuted for accounting errors relying on data from the faulty Horizon software.
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‘It’s another sticking plaster’
Once they are exonerated, the government has confirmed victims will be eligible for at least £600,000 compensation, depending on their circumstances.
Terry Wilcox, of Hudgell Solicitors, a firm which represented 74 people who have already had their convictions quashed, welcomed the announcement, but said those impacted were still “very cynical”.
“Obviously we welcome the announcement, but we are very cynical and our clients are very cynical – 20 years of history has led them to be very cynical,” he told Sky News.
“The inquiry has been running for three years and the government has known about this issue for three years yet it’s only now the drama airs, the public have become alarmed and have become aware that the politicians start to act.”
Mr Wilcox criticised the government for not acting until the public outcry following the airing of ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office last week.
Mr Wilcox said the publicity has seen his firm receive 150 enquiries and pick up three new cases of convicted sub-postmasters, one of whom has died.
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He said a blanket quashing of the convictions may not provide his clients with the same degree of vindication as if they were to be investigated by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
He said: “It’s a welcome announcement but obviously the devil is going to be in the detail. What does it mean?
“We have found some of our clients prefer to go through the review precisely because that backs of their view that they are completely innocent.”
Noel Thomas, 77, from Anglesey, a former sub-postmaster who was wrongfully convicted of false accounting in 2006 had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2021.
“We’ve had these assurances before to be honest, and they’ve fallen through,” he told Sky News.
“At the end of the day, it’s this drama that has hit the nail. It’s taken a drama to make people understand what’s been going on.”
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While Mr Wilcox said the announcement would give some people the “strength and courage” to come forward, he raised concerns over the primary legislation which “in theory would be unconstitutional”.
He said the law would need to be extremely well defined and could risk “riding roughshod” over the independence of the judiciary.
“If there’s another pressing case, which is politically sensitive, it might be used for the wrong reasons,” he said.
“That’s the danger – it should just be for postmasters… but once a precedent is set it becomes difficult to put the genie back in the bottle.”
Opinion by: James Strudwick, executive director, Starknet Foundation
The outlook surrounding the use of new technologies has shifted in Washington. Tesla CEO and presidential adviser Elon Musk’s proposition to incorporate blockchain technology into the US Treasury has placed blockchain and its use for state finances at the forefront of the global debate. According to Musk, much of this drive is rooted in the concern over the unsustainability of current government spending. With its immutable ledgers and transparent audit trails, blockchain is waiting in the wind, offering a potential solution to managing vast public finances.
Musk advocates for a unified information system that can track real-time payments, credentials and government resources, spurring a debate within the fintech community about the pros and cons of introducing such a tool at the government level. The idea is compelling, as the description on the blockchain tin effectively promises accountability, traceability and streamlined operations. The shift here, namely to a blockchain-powered government infrastructure, presents several challenges that may prove to be beyond what the new administration has expected thus far.
Blockchain as state appendage
A concern for stakeholders orbiting the blockchain world revolves around the sheer scale of government operations. Every day, the US government handles thousands of transactions across various departments. The feasibility of Musk’s vision is put into question simply as a result of its own complexity. The provable security that blockchain technology must offer while handling millions of daily transactions without buckling under the load to succeed at this scale is enormous.
A proposed solution by Musk is a hybrid model that uses “Validium” zero-knowledge rollups. The speed and efficiency of modern ZK-rollups, which can handle hundreds of millions of transactions daily, have the potential to make sure each citizen’s share of government transactions is intact and verifiable. The technology’s rapidly evolving nature, scaling to handle even higher transaction volumes in the coming years, indicates that this could be achievable.
Unfortunately, this in itself comes with its own hurdles, particularly when integrating public services, which tend to operate in silos.
The human question
The great irony here is that Musk’s declarations of government inefficiency as a reason for the ongoing shakeups could be one of the biggest reasons not to go ahead with the plan. The real obstacle here is not so much technological as it is deeply, irrevocably human. The transition from archaic legacy systems to the more modern infrastructure of blockchain requires not just software updates but an entire reprogramming of the workforce. Government employees embedded in bureaucracy are used to outdated systems, and retraining them will be no small task.
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Moreover, current government databases are a labyrinth of poorly documented, indecipherable data. Extracting and migrating this data to a blockchain infrastructure is itself a task that may require serious investment. For all its elegance, blockchain wasn’t built to contend with such inefficiency. Despite its potential for handling complex, distributed environments, the difficulties present in the system itself could make the transition more complicated than the hassle is worth.
Balancing transparency and confidentiality
Transparency of federal spending is also a factor worth highlighting. The innate strength of blockchain and its much-lauded appeal is its strength. It permits citizens to track how public funds are allocated and spent. Musk’s premise could foster a so-far unseen level of accountability, which makes transactions, every delegation of power and every resource distribution visible to the public in real-time.
The problem is that sensitive government data, classified information or personal identification could be dangerously exposed on a public blockchain. Musk’s response is to try to tether sensitive data to private channels in the blockchain and ensure that only individuals with the appropriate authorization or from specific departments can access confidential information. Theoretically, this addresses the security concern while allowing blockchain’s public verifiability.
Musk’s offer could lead to a more efficient, accountable system. The social drive behind this is the longstanding criticism of wasted spending and resource misallocation. There is also a possibility of strengthening democratic processes by holding public officials more accountable. A decentralized authority has the broader impact of empowering citizens through real-time access.
There is a forward-thinking aspect to the vision. It raises a profound question. Technology could address human governance challenges, but we run the risk of a fundamental shift in how we understand privacy and accountable authority. As we question the nature of governance, it warrants careful consideration of the role of blockchain and what it could ultimately mean for the future of society as a whole.
Opinion by: James Strudwick, executive director, Starknet Foundation.
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
Sir Keir Starmer has said the government has been preparing “for all eventualities” ahead of Donald Trump announcing global tariffs later on Wednesday.
The US president is set to announce details of fresh tariffs on imports into the US after he said all countries will be targeted in his bid to “rebalance” trade agreements.
Mr Trump is expected to announce 20% tariffs on most US imports on what he has called “Liberation Day”.
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Sir Keir told Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs): “We’ve been preparing for all eventualities ahead of the confirmation of US tariffs later today.
“Let me be clear with the House: a trade war is in nobody’s interest, and the country deserves, and we will take, a calm, pragmatic approach.
“That is why constructive talks are progressing to agree a wider economic prosperity deal with the US.”
He said the government is working with all industries and sectors in the UK that are likely to be impacted.
Sir Keir Starmer met Donald Trump at the White House in February. Pic: PA
The prime minister added his government “will rule nothing out” as he again hinted at retaliatory tariffs.
However, he said he believes the UK’s interests are “best served by calmly trying to secure a deal”.
On Monday, Sir Keir told Sky News political editor Beth Rigby US-UK trade talks are “well advanced” and “rapid progress” had been made.
However, he admitted it is likely “there will be tariffs” as negotiators had not managed to fend them off in time.
At PMQs, Sir Keir rejected jumping into a trade war with the US, saying: “That cannot be the first response of the United Kingdom.”
The impact of potential retaliatory tariffs from the EU on Northern Ireland was also raised, with DUP MP Gavin Robinson reminding the prime minister not to forget the unique trade situation in Northern Ireland.
He said while exports from Northern Ireland are UK exports, imports to the country could be hit by tariffs imposed by the EU as it shares a border with the European bloc.
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The Belfast East MP asked whether government trade teams are attempting to exempt Northern Ireland from any EU action.
Sir Keir reacted by saying what is needed is to be “calm and pragmatic”.
He added the business secretary had spoken to the Northern Ireland government on Wednesday morning, “because this is a serious issue and we need to work together to resolve the interests of everybody in Northern Ireland”.
Last week, Mr Trump said he was open to carving out deals with countries seeking to avoid US tariffs, but those agreements would be negotiated after 2 April.
He previously said he “may give a lot of countries breaks, but it’s reciprocal”, adding: “We might be even nicer than that.”
Politics
More than 400 Sikh groups call on Starmer to launch ‘promised’ inquiry on Golden Temple massacre
More than 400 Gurdwaras and Sikh organisations are calling on Sir Keir Starmer to launch an inquiry he promised into potential British involvement in the Golden Temple Massacre.
The groups have signed a letter that was sent to the prime minister urging him to follow through on a commitment made in 2022.
The calls relate to questions around what part the UK and British special forces played in the 1984 killings, in which hundreds of Sikhs died after the Indian military entered the temple complex where separatists had sought refuge.
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In 2014, the UK government accidentally revealed Margaret Thatcher was aware of the Indian state’s intention to raid the temple and in the months before the raid, a British SAS officer provided advice to the Indian government.
A subsequent investigation commissioned by David Cameron found that a single officer provided advice – and there was “no evidence of UK government involvement in the operation itself”.
However, this investigation was criticised as a cover-up due to its limited scope and quick timeframe.
In 2022, Sir Keir wrote to all Gurdwaras and Sikh organisations, saying: “A future Labour government will open an independent inquiry into Britain’s military role in the Indian army’s 1984 raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar. It is important that we are open, transparent and above reproach in understanding any role the UK may have played in such events.
“This is something I know is important to our Sikh communities here and throughout the world.”
However, an announcement on the inquiry is yet to materialise.
In the letter sent to the prime minister by the Sikh Federation, seen by Sky News, Sir Keir is told: “If what is eventually proposed by a Labour government fails to deliver the ‘truth’ as promised by you this will have massive political ramifications for the Sikh community’s support for Labour in future elections for many generations.”
The federation says an inquiry “must” be announced by 31 May.
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Sikh campaigners want Starmer to keep his word. Pic: PA
In a letter to Labour MPs, the Sikh Federation also called on them to put pressure on the government to start an inquiry.
The organisation also said it had heard “extremely worrying rumours” that the Foreign, Commonwealth And Development Office has been under pressure from the Indian government to “avoid or limit” an independent inquiry.
It added: “Civil servants are understood to be advising that a public inquiry is expensive and could damage relations with India.”
The UK is currently trying to negotiate a new trade agreement with India in the wake of Brexit. Attempts by the Conservative government failed due to a difference in position over visas.
There is a campaign among some in the Sikh community for an independent nation to be established – known as Khalistan – out of parts of the Punjab region in northern India.
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These efforts are strongly opposed by Narendra Modhi’s Hindu nationalist BJP movement.
The FCDO and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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