The Westminster government must move swiftly to ensure those affected by the Horizon Post Office scandal are compensated and exonerated for crimes they’ve been wrongfully accused of, the SNP has said.
Marion Fellows, the SNP MP for Motherwell and Wishaw and the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Postal Affairs, accused the UK government of taking too long, over decades of failures and cover-ups by Labour, Liberal, and Tory Ministers, to deliver justice to sub-Postmasters who were blamed for accounting errors which led to bankruptcies, jail sentences, and suicides.
The SNP has been pushing for justice for sub-Postmasters for over a decade and has led the campaign in the UK to condemn the actions of the Post Office.
At the 2019 party conference, the SNP passed a motion condemning the actions of Post Office Limited, including Horizon, and calling for the UK Government to review a legal strategy which wasted millions just months before they first conceded fault and gave up legal defence against these postmasters.
Commenting, Marion Fellows MP said:
“After decades of failures and cover-ups by successive Labour, Liberal Democrat and Tory Ministers at Westminster, hundreds of people who worked hard for local communities have been made to fight far too long for justice – there must be no more delays from this UK Government.
“This scandal has wrecked lives and damaged livelihoods for decades.
“The Westminster parties cannot carry on with the approach they’ve taken for years in hoping they can eventually brush this under the carpet.
“We need to see urgency from the UK government to deliver compensation and full exoneration to all victims of this stunning miscarriage of justice – without affecting current Postmaster remuneration, and a guarantee that those responsible will be held to account.
“Many sub-Postmasters expect they’ll never see the compensation they deserve – it’s up to the Tories and this UK government to ensure they do.
“Sub-Postmasters provide crucial services and are a bedrock of our communities – their role should never be understated or undermined.”
