Who is Paula Vennells – the former Post Office boss one million people want stripped of her CBE?

Published

2 years ago

January 8, 2024

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More than a million people are calling for the former head of the Post Office to be stripped of her CBE over the Horizon IT scandal.

The story of more than 700 sub-postmasters and mistresses who were taken to court, left bankrupt, or imprisoned because of a computer system error has been retold in a new ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office.

A public inquiry into the scandal, which wrongly accused hundreds of innocent workers of theft and false accounting between 1999 and 2015, is still ongoing, with only 93 convictions overturned so far.

As the TV series has grown in popularity, so has a petition to remove the then Post Office chief executive’s CBE.

Businesswoman and part-time priest

Paula Vennells joined the Post Office as group network director in 2007 having begun her business career at Unilever in 1981, later securing management positions at L’Oreal, Dixons, Argos and Whitbread.

Before that, she had grown up in Manchester and studied French and Russian at Bradford University.

Between 2002 and 2005 she trained as a Church of England deacon and was ordained as a priest in 2006. Alongside her career, she served at three churches in Bedfordshire.

Ms Vennells was promoted to Post Office chief executive in 2012 – the same year it split from Royal Mail.

During her tenure, she oversaw huge financial struggles, which forced the closure of thousands of branches nationwide and forced the service to modernise.

From 2000 the Post Office pursued criminal prosecutions against many of its staff over account shortfalls.

The sub-postmasters and mistresses involved protested their innocence from the beginning, but many were convicted and imprisoned, with their reputations left ruined.

The year in which Ms Vennells took charge of the Post Office, it bowed to mounting pressure to investigate the allegations being made about the IT system by several sub-postmasters.

It commissioned the private investigation company Second Sight to file a report, which ultimately concluded there were no widespread accounting or IT issues.

In 2017 a group of staff managed to bring their case against the Post Office to the High Court.

As it progressed, Ms Vennells faced increasing criticism, and she eventually stepped down from her role in 2019.

In the New Years Honours List at the beginning of that year, she had been given a CBE “for services to the Post Office and to charity”.

‘Truly sorry’

In December 2019, the case concluded, with Mr Justice Fraser ruling the sub-postmasters should have their convictions quashed and that the Horizon system was to blame for the scandal.

Mr Fraser described the Post Office’s evidence in the case as “institutional obstinacy”.

Following the ruling, Ms Vennells said: “I am truly sorry for the suffering caused to the 39 subpostmasters as a result of their convictions which were overturned last week.”

Soon after she reportedly agreed to cease her duties as an associate minister. The Bishop of St Albans, whose father was a sub-postmaster, was quoted saying it was the “right” decision.

She also stepped aside from non-executive leadership roles at Morrisons and Dunelm, according to reports.

After leaving the Post Office in 2019, Ms Vennells became chairman of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

But the following year, with the Post Office appealing the High Court ruling, healthcare regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) expressed concerns over Ms Vennells keeping her position, and it was announced she was stepping down for personal reasons in December 2020.

Amid an increasing backlash, Conservative peer Lord Arbuthnot who led the campaign in parliament on behalf of the sub-postmasters and mistresses, said: “The hallmark of Paula Vennells’ time as CEO was that she was willing to accept appalling advice from people in her management and legal teams.

“The consequences of this were far-reaching for the Post Office and devastating for the sub-postmasters. However, there seem to have been no consequences for her.”

Mr Fraser’s original ruling was upheld in 2021 and a statutory public inquiry into the Horizon scandal began in 2022.

The Metropolitan Police has also confirmed it is investigating the Post Office over potential fraud offences related to the scandal.

Politics

China says it has ‘no interest’ in spying on UK following latest accusations

Published

1 hour ago

November 19, 2025

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China says it has 'no interest' in spying on UK following latest accusations

China’s foreign ministry has hit back at what it called “unfounded” accusations of spying in Westminster, saying it has “no interest” in gathering intelligence on the UK.

Yesterday, the security service MI5 sent a warning to MPs and peers about two recruitment headhunters who are working for Chinese security services.

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They are Amanda Qiu of BR-YR Executive Search and Shirly Shen of the Internship Union.

But speaking in response to a question by Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning replied: “China has repeatedly made clear its solemn position on this matter.

“We firmly oppose such unfounded allegations and the exaggerated portrayal and sensationalism that project one’s own biases onto others.

“Judgements based on erroneous information will only lead astray.

Ms Mao added: “China never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries, nor does it have any interest in gathering so-called intelligence on the British parliament.”

Chinese spying accusations may signal thorny period ahead

It is China’s standard playbook to outright deny allegations of spying.

But given that it’s common knowledge countries spy on each other, and given the recent spate of allegations of this nature, it might feel a little far-fetched for China to stick so rigorously to the position that the UK is just making it all up.

Not so, says Mao Ning, the spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

When I put it to her, she said that these allegations are, in fact, a “projection of one’s own biases on to others”, and that China doesn’t “have any interest in gathering so-called intelligence on the British parliament”.

That is almost certainly not true. China is commonly understood to run a highly sophisticated espionage operation.

But, in a way, the truth or untruth might be immaterial to the impact on the bilateral relationship.

While the UK government may seek to send strong signals amidst criticism that it’s being too soft, China really does not appreciate this type of laundry being aired in public.

It may well signal a thorny period ahead.

In a message seen by Sky News about parliamentary staff, MPs and peers were warned that the MI5 alert “highlights how the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) is actively reaching out to individuals in our community”.

The message continued: “Their aim is to collect information and lay the groundwork for long-term relationships, using professional networking sites, recruitment agents and consultants acting on their behalf.”

Security minister Dan Jarvis later said in a statement to parliament that “China has a low threshold for what information is considered to be of value, and will gather individual pieces of information to build a wider picture”.

He added: “Let me speak plainly. This activity involves a covert and calculated attempt by a foreign power to interfere with our sovereign affairs in favour of its own interests, and this government will not tolerate it.”

The government made a statement in the House of Commons following the revelations, saying it would take all “necessary measures” to protect the UK.

Westminster employees were warned that two individuals were both known to be reaching out on LinkedIn to “conduct outreach at scale on behalf of MSS”.

This latest warning comes after the collapse of a prosecution of two people suspected of spying on behalf of China.

The previous spying allegations led to controversy over how the government under Labour responded to the Crown Prosecution Service’s requests for evidence.

Sir Keir Starmer sought to blame the previous Conservative government for the issues, which centred on whether China could be designated an “enemy” under First World War-era legislation.

Sir Keir has sought to keep relationships with Beijing somewhat warm, highlighting the value of China as a trading partner.

Politics

New Hampshire approves first-of-its-kind $100M Bitcoin-backed municipal bond

Published

7 hours ago

November 19, 2025

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New Hampshire approves first-of-its-kind 0M Bitcoin-backed municipal bond

New Hampshire has approved the issuance of a $100 million municipal bond backed by Bitcoin, in what appears to be the first structure of its kind at the US state level.

Minutes from a Nov. 17 meeting of the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority (BFA), the state’s business financing agency, show the board planned “to consider approving a resolution authorizing up to $100,000,000 bonds for a project to acquire and hold digital currency.”

Minutes from the following day record that directors voted to “approve the preliminary official intent, with no reservation, to issue a taxable conduit revenue bond for WaveRose Depositor, LLC of up to $100,000,000.”

According to a Wednesday Crypto in America report, the bond is backed by Bitcoin (BTC) and would let companies borrow against overcollateralized BTC held by a private custodian. The state or taxpayers do not back the bond; instead, BFA approves and oversees a private deal, while Bitcoin — reportedly held in custody by BitGo — covers investors.

According to the report, asset manager Wave Digital Assets and bond specialist Rosemawr Management designed the bond to utilize Bitcoin as collateral under the same rules that govern municipal and corporate bonds. Wave co-founder Les Borsai said the goal is to “bridge traditional fixed income with digital assets” for institutional investors.

New Hampshire, United States — *The New Hampshire State House in Concord. Source:* *Wikimedia*

“We believe this structure shows how public and private sectors can collaborate to responsibly unlock the value of digital assets and digital asset reserves,” he added.

The borrower is expected to post approximately 160% of the bond’s value in Bitcoin as collateral, and if the price of BTC drops below roughly 130%, a liquidation would ensure that bondholders stay whole. According to BFA Executive Director James Key-Wallace, fees from the transaction will fund the local innovation and entrepreneurship program, the Bitcoin Economic Development Fund.

New Hampshire dives headfirst into crypto

The news follows New Hampshire becoming the first US state to allow its government to invest in cryptocurrencies in May after Governor Kelly Ayotte signed a bill allowing the municipality to “invest in cryptocurrency and precious metals.”

New Hampshire is also working on a bill to deregulate local cryptocurrency mining operations. In late October, a committee voted 4–2 to send the measure for further review in an interim study after it had been deadlocked in the State Senate twice.

The local administration is viewed as particularly welcoming to the cryptocurrency industry. In early February, Brendan Cochrane, an Anti-Money Laundering specialist at YK Law in New York City, argued that it could become an alternative for crypto companies relocating to the Bahamas.

The latest moves build on a longer history of crypto engagement. Back in 2015, New Hampshire was already working on a bill that would have allowed the state government to accept tax and fee payments in Bitcoin.

The bill ultimately failed in 2016, but it shows how early the local administration began to show interest in this asset class. Additionally, as early as 2016, some advocates were already arguing that New Hampshire was among the world’s most Bitcoin-friendly communities.