Post Office Inquiry: If Paula Vennells’s first day was about ignorance, then day two made ignorance look like bliss
If Paula Vennells’s first day in the witness stand was memorable for her tears and self-justifications at facing public scrutiny for the first time in nine years, the second was less dramatic but more substantial.
During her seven years as chief executive, hundreds of sub-postmasters were sent to jail based on flawed evidence thrown up by the Post Office’s Horizon IT system.
Ms Vennells’s defence is that despite her experience – she was in senior roles for five years before taking the top job – she just did not know.
She spent much of day one establishing just how complete her ignorance was.
Post Office inquiry: Day 2 of evidence from former CEO – As it happened
Ms Vennells was in tears during her first day of evidence
She didn’t know there were bugs in the Horizon system before she became CEO. She didn’t know that branch accounts could be accessed remotely.
She didn’t even know the Post Office carried out its own prosecutions, a power it has held since the days when Dick Turpin was a greater threat to the bottom line than sub-postmasters.
Day two was largely concerned with what she did when she finally did find out what was going on, and it made ignorance look like bliss.
Over more than six hours of questioning, a picture emerged of an obsession with spin, public relations, media management, and the Post Office’s reputation being placed over and above concern for sub-postmasters.
Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells arrives for her second day of giving evidence to the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry. Pic: PA
It was most clearly exposed in correspondence between Ms Vennells and the then Post Office communications director Mark Davies.
It concerned her suggestion in 2013 that the Post Office conduct a review of all false accounting cases over the previous five to 10 years.
That plan was never pursued, and inquiry counsel Jason Beer asked if that amounted to “a lost decade until miscarriages of justice were discovered?”
“It may well have done,” she agreed. “It may well have done.”
Post Office Horizon IT scandal inquiry counsel Jason Beer KC
That begged the question, why didn’t it happen, and part of the answer came in an email from Mr Davies offering his view.
“If we say publicly that we will look at last cases… whether from recent history or going further back, we will open this up very significantly into front page news. In media terms it becomes very mainstream, very high-profile,” he wrote.
“To what extent did what Mr Davies advice here affect your decision-making?” she was asked.
“I would never – it was simply not the way I worked,” she said.
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Mr Beer then produced her reply to Mr Davies: “You were right to call this out. And I will take your steer, no issue,” she wrote.
“There are two main objectives, the most urgent being to manage the media, the second to make sure that we do address the concerns of JA [James Arbuthnot] and Alan Bates.”
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“You did take the advice of the PR guy, didn’t you?” Mr Beer asked.
Her response, that she really didn’t remember, was drowned out by groans of derision from the sub-postmasters in the room, prompting chair Sir Wyn Williams to call for order.
Failure to remember is a consistent theme of Ms Vennells’s evidence, perhaps peaking with this, when asked about a 2013 board meeting: “My recollection,” she said, “is that I don’t recall.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq over allegations she lived in properties linked to allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the deposed prime minister of Bangladesh.
It comes after the current Bangladeshi leader, Muhammad Yunus, said London properties used by Ms Siddiq should be investigated.
He told the Sunday Times the properties should be handed back to his government if they were acquired through “plain robbery”.
Tory leader Ms Badenoch said: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq.
“He appointed his personal friend as anti-corruption minister and she is accused herself of corruption.
“Now the government of Bangladesh is raising serious concerns about her links to the regime of Sheikh Hasina.”
Ms Siddiq insists she has “done nothing wrong”.
Her aunt was ousted from office in August following an uprising against her 20-year leadership and fled to India.
Ms Siddiq is also named with her aunt in Bangladesh court documents about meetings with the Russian government.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir to sack the minister
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As economic secretary to the Treasury, Ms Siddiq is responsible for policy on both the City and tackling corruption.
She referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics watchdog on Monday following the reports about the properties.
On the same day, the prime minister said: “Tulip Siddiq has acted entirely properly by referring herself to the independent adviser, as she’s now done, and that’s why we brought into being the new code.
“It’s to allow ministers to ask the adviser to establish the facts, and yes, I’ve got confidence in her, and that’s the process that will now be happening.”
Police in Aberdeen have widened the search area for two sisters who disappeared four days ago in the city.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV on Market Street after leaving their home on Tuesday at around 2.12am.
The sisters – who are part of a set of triplets and originally from Hungary – crossed the Victoria Bridge to the Torry area and turned right on to a footpath next to the River Dee.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti were last seen on CCTV in Market Street. Pic: Police Scotland/PA
They headed in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club but officers said there is no evidence to suggest the missing women left the immediate area.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and a marine unit have been trying to trace the pair.
The sisters crossed Victoria Bridge before walking along a footpath next to the River Dee
The pair were heading in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club on the south side of the River Dee
Further searches are being carried out towards the Port of Aberdeen’s South Harbour and Duthie Park.
Police Scotland said it is liaising with authorities in Hungary to support the relatives of the two sisters.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Eliza and Henrietta’s family are understandably extremely worried about them and we are working tirelessly to find them.
“We are seriously concerned about them and have significant resources dedicated to the inquiry.”
The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Officers have requested businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review their CCTV footage for the early morning of Tuesday 7 January.
Police added they are keen to hear from anyone with dashcam footage from that time.
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