Post Office boss Nick Read ‘exonerated’ after investigation into bullying allegations
The Post Office’s chief executive has been “exonerated of all misconduct allegations” following an investigation into bullying allegations.
The organisation said Nick Read would continue to lead it following the independent review.
Allegations about his behaviour emerged earlier this year when Henry Staunton, the former Post Office chairman, told a House of Commons select committee that an 80-page document had been written by the company’s former human resources director under its “Speak Up” policy.
Read more: Exclusive – Post Office chief braced for publication of crunch ‘bullying’ report
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Post Office Horizon inquiry: Former investigator to give evidence
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Mr Staunton, who was informed of his sacking in January, and which was revealed by Sky News, made a number of allegations about the report’s contents, including apparent threats by Mr Read to resign over his pay package and claims of bullying made against him.
In a statement, the Post Office said that an independent barrister had been investigating a Speak Up complaint “into various allegations, which included a number of misconduct allegations against our CEO, Nick Read”.
It added: “Following several interviews and examination of documents by the barrister, Nick has been exonerated of all the misconduct allegations and has the full and united backing of the board to continue to lead the business.
“The board regards the Speak Up process as critical to the open and supportive culture it wants to encourage at the Post Office. The integrity of that Speak Up process relies on confidentiality for whistleblowers and therefore we will not be providing further detail on this or any other Speak Up investigation.”
Read more: Ex-Post Office investigator ‘always thought Horizon was robust’
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February: Staunton says investigation was made into Nick Read
The statement added that it was “unacceptable that this specific process was referred to in the public domain but notwithstanding that, Post Office wants to make clear that Speak Up allegations will always be thoroughly and consistently investigated, whoever they are aimed at”.
It continued: “The external investigator has made some recommendations on where improvements can be made to Post Office’s processes.
“Those recommendations are helpful and we will ensure that they are properly and promptly addressed going forward. We will not be commenting further on this matter.”
The row – stoked by Mr Staunton after he was sacked by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch – erupted as the government sought to introduce legislation that would quash the wrongful convictions of sub-postmasters in what has been labelled Britain’s worst miscarriage of justice.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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