The UK government must act quickly to ensure victims in the Horizon Post Office scandal receive the full financial redress they are due before it’s too late, the SNP has said.
It comes after the solicitor for many of the affected sub-postmasters, Neil Hudgell, revealed at today’s Business Committee hearing into the scandal that only three people have been fully compensated so far.
A number of suicides have been linked to the scandal, and a further thirty three victims are known to have passed away before being able to see justice.
Mr Hudgell was joined at the committee by leading campaigner, Alan Bates, who repeated his frustrations that full redress had still not been made to all victims by now.
The Post Office minister admitted in the Committee today that UK government ministers didn’t “sufficiently challenge” Post Office over this scandal.
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:
“The UK government needs to pick up the pace to deliver full financial redress and exoneration to everyone affected, before it’s too late.
“Far too many people have died already without ever getting to see the justice they deserved or even this UK government acknowledge the harm that has been done – the government must do all it can to minimise how many will die without having this injustice addressed.
“Thousands of people across the country were affected by this, with many still picking up the pieces of their lives and livelihoods that were ruined through no fault of their own.
“It’s a scandal in of itself that only three victims have received full financial redress, leaving so many still fighting for the money and the exoneration they’re due.
“This is a debacle that was only allowed to unfold after decades of cover-ups by successive Labour, Liberal and Tory governments/ministers – it’s incumbent on them now to do the right thing, ensure no more delays, and deliver justice for the victims who are left alive to see it.”
