Summary

  • Paul Patterson, the boss of the European arm of Fujitsu - the Japanese company that developed the faulty Horizon system - is giving evidence to the Post Office inquiry - watch live above

  • Patterson tells the inquiry that it is clear 'that there is a level of unreliability' within Horizon

  • Earlier, former business secretary Kemi Badenoch rejected that she should have escalated her concern sooner over the delay to financial redress

  • Her successor, Jonathan Reynolds, said he would consider setting a payout deadline for sub-postmasters

  • Between 1999 and 2015, hundreds were wrongly prosecuted after the faulty Horizon IT accounting system made it look like money was missing

Live Reporting

Edited by Emily Atkinson and Barbara Tasch, with Jenna Moon and Thomas Mackintosh at the inquiry

  1. Labour allocates £1.8bn for Post Office scandal

    Chancellor Rachel ReevesReuters

    Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered Labour’s first Budget since 2010 last month, after the party’s return to power in July’s general election.

    She announced tax rises worth £40bn to fund the NHS and other public services.

    As we mentioned earlier on, she also set aside £1.8bn for wrongly prosecuted sub-postmasters, in addition to various compensation schemes already announced.

    A separate £11.8bn was allocated to compensate victims of the infected blood scandal.

  2. Who is Jonathan Reynolds?

    Jonathan ReynoldsPA Media

    Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is the son of a fireman and grew up in Sunderland. He went to university in Manchester, where he joined the Labour Party and chose to remain after graduating.

    He has been the MP for Stalybridge and Hyde in Greater Manchester since 2010.

    Back in July, when a new compensation scheme was announced for postmasters with overturned convictions, he said he hoped it would "bring some relief" to those who have "waited far too long to get their money back".

    In January, he said that Rishi Sunak's government needed to explain why it had sacked the then-chair of the Post Office, Henry Staunton.

  3. Analysis

    Tensions, spats and redress: What might come up at today's inquiry?

    Emma Simpson
    Business correspondent

    It’s the final week of evidence at the Post Office Inquiry, more than two and a half years since it started hearing evidence in public.

    The last of the politicians are being questioned today.

    First up is the new Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, followed by opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, who held the role previously under the Conservative government.

    They’re likely to be asked about how the Post Office is currently being run as well as problems linked to compensation for the victims of the Horizon IT scandal.

    There’s also expected to be questions about Badenoch’s high profile spat with the former Post Office chair, Henry Staunton.

    And then Paul Patterson, the boss of Fujitsu’s European arm, is back for a second appearance.

    He's expected to be asked about tensions between himself and outgoing CEO Nick Read recently revealed in a series of email exchanges.

    He's also likely to face questions on what Fujitsu is doing about financial redress.

    Ten months ago, he said his company had a moral obligation to contribute to compensation. But those promises have led to little, if any, action so far.

  4. Journalists gather for inquiry

    Jenna Moon
    Reporting from the inquiry

    Journalists congregate in front of Aldwych House in Holborn, London

    Good morning.

    Journalists are arriving at Aldwych House ahead of a new day of evidence to the Post Office inquiry.

    I'm joined here this morning with my colleague, Thomas Mackintosh, and preparing to take you through key details.

    As we just mentioned, we're expecting testimony from Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition and former business secretary.

  5. Current and former business secretaries to give evidence at Post Office inquiry

    Emily Atkinson
    Live page editor

    A person walks past a Post Office branch in east LondonEPA

    Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Post Office inquiry.

    Kicking off this final week of evidence are Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and his predecessor Kemi Badenoch, also the new Conservative Party leader

    Paul Patterson, the head of Fujitsu’s European arm, is appearing for a second time later on. He made his debut at the inquiry in January, telling the room his firm - the maker of the faulty Horizon computer software - "clearly let society down" for its role in the scandal.

    I'm here in London Broadcasting House, with Jenna Moon and Thomas Mackintosh reporting from the inquiry, along with members of our business team.

    You can follow our text updates and analysis on the key lines here, and hit watch live above for the blow-by-blow.

    Stay tuned.