The major questions for Post Office boss Paula Vennells to answer as three days of questioning to begin

Published

4 weeks ago

May 22, 2024

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With protesters gathering and media cameras carefully angled, one of the most important people in the whole Post Office Horizon IT scandal will sit for three full days of questions.

Wednesday is the start of the moment sub-postmaster victims, and likely anyone involved through the years the Post Office injustice was perpetrated, have been waiting for. It’s been five years since the Post Office apologised but victims are awaiting redress and answers they hope Paula Vennells may provide.

Why does Paula Vennells matter?

Former chief executive Ms Vennells was at the helm of the government-owned body during the key Horizon operating years of 2012 to 2019.

She’s been regularly referenced in the inquiry set up to establish a clear account of the introduction and failure of Fujitsu’s Horizon accounting software.

Horizon wrongly generated shortfalls at Post Office branches and led to hundreds of false accounting and theft prosecutions. Many more sub-postmasters racked up significant debts, lost homes and livelihoods, became unwell, left communities and some took their lives as they struggled to repay imaginary losses.

While this is the first opportunity for inquiry barristers to publicly question Ms Vennells, hers has been a continuous presence through the documents presented to dozens of witnesses and the answers they provided.

A previously unknown name, Ms Vennells may now be familiar to the millions who saw a dramatised version of her portrayed in the ITV drama Mr Bates v the Post Office that revived interest in the injustice.

In the wake of the show Ms Vennells, an ordained vicar, gave up her CBE (Commander of the British Empire) and reiterated her apology and regret for the harm caused to sub-postmaster victims.

As she agreed at a government select committee in 2015, the buck stopped with her.

Did she turn a blind eye or take part in a cover-up?

The issue of what Ms Vennells knew and when has been the subject of news reports which detailed the extent of her knowledge of the scandal, years before prosecutions were halted and an apology was issued.

Whether Ms Vennells sought to suppress or minimise evidence or just overlooked it will shed light on why the scandal ran on for as long as it did – from when sub-postmaster and advocate Alan Bates raised issues in 2003 up until 2019 when an apology was issued.

When did she first know sub-postmaster accounts could be altered remotely?

Key to understanding why Ms Vennells acted as she did is when exactly she knew the Post Office’s IT helpdesk or people in Fujitsu could access and edit Post Office branch accounts.

Why did she allow prosecutions to go ahead on the basis there was no remote access, despite legal advice?

Whatever her answer, there’s evidence – in the form of recordings leaked to Sky News – to suggest Ms Vennells had been told of remote access by May 2013, at the latest.

But three years earlier, in 2010 and before Ms Vennells’ tenure as CEO, Post Office prosecutors were alerted to bugs with Horizon, just days before the trial and eventual conviction of sub-postmaster Seema Misra, who was pregnant at the time.

Issues around Post Office convictions were again raised during Ms Vennells term when Simon Clarke, a barrister for a firm advising the organisation, wrote in 2013 that an important Fujitsu witness failed to disclose he knew of bugs, “in plain breach of his duty as an expert witness”.

This put the Post Office “in plain breach of its duty as a prosecutor”, he told the company in his formal legal advice.

Did she authorise £300,000 of legal spending to go after a £25,000 loss?

Sub-postmaster Lee Castleton, recognisable from the Mr Bates Vs The Post Office drama, will be particularly keen to know if Ms Vennells – as former managing director Alan Cook told the inquiry – signed off legal costs of £300,000 to prosecute Mr Castleton for a supposed £25,000 shortfall when she was a network director at the Post Office.

What’s her account of how she got it so wrong? Why did she allow the scandal to continue?

Given the evidence to suggest Ms Vennells was aware of bugs and defects in Horizon years before prosecutions stopped and an apology was made, members of the public and victims alike will want to hear her account of why she did not act to scrap Horizon.

Why did she not act, and apologise, earlier?

Many will want to know why she had such faith in Horizon, Fujitsu and those working for the Post Office when sub-postmasters, MPs representing constituents, legal advisors, and even Second Sight, the forensic accountants hired to investigate were telling her there were problems.

What did she think of sub-postmaster complaints against Fujitsu?

Ms Vennells was clearly not so concerned about Horizon that she did anything to minimise its role, not least end it. So what did she think of what sub-postmasters were telling the organisation they were going through – did she think they lacked credibility, or perhaps that they were small in number and easy to ignore?

Why was she closed to the idea of faults in Horizon?

Horizon shortfalls had been discussed at the Post Office for years – why did Ms Vennells believe it was to be trusted over hundreds of sub-postmasters? How did she come to conclude Horizon was robust and claims against it were not?

Why did she say in 2020 the Post Office ‘did not identify’ defects with Horizon?

We do have an understanding of how Ms Vennells viewed the role of the Post Office and its oversight of the scandal – it’s one of ignorance. Since she stood down in 2019 Ms Vennells said the Post Office was unaware and that’s one of the things she’s apologised for.

“I am sorry for the hurt caused to sub-postmasters and colleagues and to their families and I am sorry for the fact that during my tenure as CEO, despite genuinely working hard to resolve the difficulties, Post Office did not identify and address the defects in the Horizon technology,” she wrote in June 2020.

Why did she say this when there’s evidence the Post Office did know?

Follow the questioning of Paula Vennells at the inquiry live on Sky News on Wednesday. Watch Sky News live here, and on YouTube, or on TV on Freeview 233, Sky 501, Virgin 603, and BT 313. You can also follow the latest on the Sky News website and app.

Why did she tell Parliament there was ‘no evidence’ of ‘miscarriages of justice’?

There’s a lot to be asked about Ms Vennells previous statements. Top of the list for many will be her answers to a February 2015 meeting of what was then the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) select committee.

At that point – after forensic accountants Second Sight had uncovered and informed her of Horizon bugs – she told the MP committee members there was “no evidence” of “miscarriages of justice”.

Why were forensic accountants, who were getting to the bottom of Horizon issues, sacked?

Sub-postmaster advocate and former MP Lord Arbuthnot said he believed it was because they were getting too close to the truth.

Why, when she said she was going to ‘focus fully on working with the ongoing government inquiry’, were her lawyers giving documents to it hours before hearing evidence?

When an inquiry was announced into the scandal in 2020, Ms Vennells said she was going to “focus fully on working with the ongoing government inquiry”.

The inquiry had set a deadline by which all relevant documents were to be submitted, however, 50 additional documents were submitted on behalf of Ms Vennells at 11:17 pm on Thursday night and continued to come on Friday.

Outstanding questions from an earlier inquiry

Another grilling of Ms Vennells was due to take place in March 2020 by MP members of (what was at the time called) the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee.

Given the evolving COVID-19 virus crisis, the hearing was postponed but questions were still asked of Ms Vennells by letter rather than in person.

A number of those questions were not answered.

Committee chair Darren Jones had asked 17 questions but only received 13 answers in her June 2020 written reply.

Whereas she responded to his other questions, these ones received no reply:

• How would you answer those sub-postmasters and postal workers who said that the Post Office investigation branch was more interested in asset recovery than finding the source of errors in Horizon and that they felt they were treated as if they were guilty until proven innocent?

• Did the Post Office Ltd board review the approach and attitude of Post Office investigators at any point during your tenure as CEO? If so, how many times and what was the outcome?

• Were you comfortable as Post Office Ltd CEO that your organisation was prosecuting sub-postmasters without recourse to the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service]?

• The judge in Bates v Post Office stated that Post Office Ltd had operated with a culture of “secrecy and excessive confidentiality”. Did you as Post Office Ltd CEO oversee a culture of “secrecy and excessive confidentiality”; Was Post Office Ltd, as the judge stated, fearful of what it might find if it looked too closely at Horizon?

“I continue to support and focus on co-operating with the inquiry,” a statement from Ms Vennells said.

“I am truly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub-postmasters and their families, whose lives were torn apart by being wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted as a result of the Horizon system.”

“I now intend to continue to focus on assisting the Inquiry and will not make any further public comment until it has concluded,” she added.

UK

Beaming Kate returns to royal events at Trooping the Colour – her first public appearance since cancer diagnosis

Published

9 hours ago

June 15, 2024

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Beaming Kate returns to royal events at Trooping the Colour - her first public appearance since cancer diagnosis

The Princess of Wales joined the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Colour flypast – after making her first public appearance since the announcement of her cancer diagnosis.

Kate, 42, wearing a pale outfit, was earlier pictured arriving at Buckingham Palace in a car sat alongside her children and her husband the Prince of Wales ahead of the event to celebrate the King’s official birthday.

The princess, who has been receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer since late February, and her three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, were cheered by crowds along The Mall as they left the palace in a carriage for the ceremony.

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The future queen looked relaxed as she travelled along one of London’s most famous thoroughfares with her family in a carriage.

She could be seen smiling and talking to her children in the carriage before they arrived at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.

William rode on horseback for the procession, alongside the Princess Royal, and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The King, who is also undergoing cancer treatment, rode in a carriage with the Queen, a departure from last year because of his illness, and inspected the officers and guardsmen from the coach rather than from a horse.

When the royal carriages finally came to a stop, Louis was the first to leave, followed by his elder brother George, and sister Charlotte.

Finally, Kate stepped down wearing a Jenny Packham dress, hat by Philip Treacy, and the Irish Guards Regimental Brooch, as she is the regiment’s colonel.

In another change from last year, Kate did not join senior family members on a dais, but watched the military spectacle – also known as the Birthday Parade – from a balcony in the Duke of Wellington’s former office with her children.

Prince Louis, six, at one point seemed to be distracted by a blind cord and was seen yawning while watching the parade before dancing along during the quick march of the Scots Guards to Highland Laddie.

Heavy rain began to fall as the royal procession made its way back to Buckingham Palace but the King and Queen, as well as Kate and her children, were protected from the downpour in their covered carriage.

Princess Charlotte, nine, smiled and waved enthusiastically to the crowds who braved the weather, while her brothers also smiled and waved to the sea of umbrellas along The Mall.

A 41-gun salute was then fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in nearby Green Park before Kate and her family joined the King and Queen, as well as other royals, on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the RAF flypast.

They smiled and waved to the cheering crowds before standing proudly as the national anthem was played, with the flypast ending with the Red Arrows trailing their trademark red, white and blue colours.

Ahead of the event, Kate said: “I’m looking forward to attending the King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet.

“I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty.

“Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much needed time to heal.”

Her appearance was in doubt after she missed the final Trooping rehearsal last weekend.

This is Kate’s first official outing of 2024 after she missed engagements at the start of the year when she was admitted to hospital for abdominal treatment.

At the time her condition was thought to be non-cancerous, but tests after the successful operation found the disease, and Kate disclosed the diagnosis in March.

A time frame has not yet been set for Kate’s return to a full schedule of public engagements.

UK

General election: Voters annoyed at government’s broken promises, admits minister

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9 hours ago

June 15, 2024

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General election: Voters annoyed at government's broken promises, admits minister

People are “really annoyed” the government has not always kept its promises, a Tory minister has said as he acknowledged the election was “tough” after 14 years in power.

Speaking to Sky News Johnny Mercer admitted the campaign had been “up and down”, but insisted the polls showing the party lagging behind were not reflected on the doorstep.

He warned voters against giving Labour “unchecked power” by backing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, after a poll put his party one percentage point above the Conservatives.

It comes after a survey by YouGov for The Times put Reform UK at 19%, compared to the Conservatives at 18%.

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The veterans minister and former army officer, who is battling to be re-elected to the Devon seat of Plymouth Moor View, also disputed the findings of an IPSOS survey that indicated six in 10 people would accept higher taxes if it meant more money for the NHS.

He made his comments as Rishi Sunak remained away from the campaign trail for another day after attending the G7 summit in Italy.

The prime minister was also due to attend the Trooping the Colour ceremony to celebrate the official birthday of the King before jetting off again to attend a Ukraine Peace summit in Switzerland.

Mr Mercer told Sky News: “I’ve never found six out of ten people on the doors who want to pay more in tax in Plymouth.

“I respect all these surveys. I respect all the polls. There’s one poll that matters on 4 July.

“I don’t find six out of 10 people want to pay more tax. I find they want to bring their taxes down.

“They want better public services. They understand the challenge in the NHS.

“They also understand it’s got record funding and record numbers of doctors and nurses. But we’re up against a huge rise in demand, particularly under the pandemic, which is really, really difficult.”

He added: “Of course, people are annoyed. People are really annoyed that we’ve made promises and that we haven’t always met them.

“I think we’ve got a job of work to get over how hard the prime minister works on this, how difficult government is.

“But, no, I think people want to pay less tax. You have a clear choice in this election now, haven’t you.

“You have got the Conservatives clearly saying we’re going to reduce and continue to reduce tax… and a Labour government coming in, who is clearly going to raise taxes.”

Mr Mercer went on: “This election is tough, right? And it was always going to be tough after 14 years in power, and clearly the campaign’s been up and down as well.”

But insisting the Tories had a “bold plan”, he warned: “If you vote for Reform, you’re going to get a Labour government, you’ll get unchecked power from a Labour government to come in and change the face of this country into something that I don’t believe it is, I don’t think it is a left-wing country.”

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Mr Mercer rejected the Tory brand was “toxic” as he defended the absence of Conservative branding in his election literature.

He said: “Anyone looking at those leaflets can see that I’m in the Conservative Party and everybody has always known I’m in the Conservative Party.”

He added: “It’s blue… It’s got me on there talking about my record in government. So which part of it is not clear that I’m in the Conservative Party?

“I think it does say on the back who I’m campaigning for. “

Meanwhile, Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall defended her party’s claim NHS waiting lists could rise to 10 million despite a thinktank saying it was “highly unlikely”.

Responding to the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ criticism, Ms Kendall told Sky News: “We’re saying that if there’s another five years of the Conservatives, you could see 10 million people waiting in pain or feeling they have to try and pay to go private to deal with their problem.”

She said it was a “reasonable assumption” that was based on what had already happened under the Conservatives and “if the trend continues in the future, as it has done in the past, that’s what we’re likely to see”.

The Tories have dismissed the Labour attack as “scaremongering”.

Elsewhere, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is on the campaign trail in Surrey as he continues his party’s efforts to chip away at the “blue wall”, a collection of typically safe Conservative seats in southern England.

Other candidates in Plymouth Moor View are:

Shaun Hooper, Reform UK
Sarah Martin, Liberal Democrat
Georgia Nelson, Greens
Fred Thomas, Labour

UK

Beaming Kate returns to royal events at Trooping the Colour – her first public appearance since cancer diagnosis

Published

12 hours ago