Summary

  • The Post Office minister says the government will leave "no stone unturned" in seeking justice for convicted branch mangers

  • Kevin Hollinrake tells MPs that options are being devised to fast-track the appeals of hundreds of sub-postmasters caught up in the Horizon IT scandal

  • Earlier, the prime minister said the government "will do everything we can to make this right for all those affected"

  • Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also said all cases need to be revisited, while Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said it was important that victims were properly compensated

  • Rishi Sunak would also "strongly support" the honours committee if it chose to look into revoking the CBE of former Post Office boss Paula Vennells

  • Between 1999 and 2015, the Post Office prosecuted 736 sub-postmasters and mistresses based on information from a computer system called Horizon

  • More than 700 branch managers were given criminal convictions when the faulty software made it look as though money was missing from their sites - 93 of these convictions have been overturned

Live Reporting

Edited by James Harness and Marita Moloney

  1. Justice secretary to meet Post Office minister this afternoon

    Chris Mason
    Political editor

    We said earlier that Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, would meet the minister responsible for the Post Office at some point today - but we weren't sure of the time.

    It's now been confirmed that Chalk will meet Kevin Hollinrake at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) this afternoon.

  2. Millions care about this and are furious - ex-minister

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent

    David Davis walks up Downing StreetPA Media

    Sir David Davis, who will try to question ministers about the scandal in Parliament today, has told the BBC the Post Office scandal is "such a big issue".

    "All of the cases depend on one single lie, and that is nobody but the postmasters and mistresses could access their computers," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning.

    "We now know that to be untrue. I see no real reason, no logical reason you can't have a mass case, mass appeal on that basis. There are now tens of millions of people who care about this - care a lot. They're furious in many cases."

    Davis, a former cabinet minister, said the reason the issue was only now at the top of the political agenda was "a failure of imagination on people's part".

    Talking about the ITV drama on the scandal that aired last week, he continued:

    What the docudrama did was bring home the agony people were put through. The destruction of their lives, really. When people see that they are galvanised.

    The Post Office have said we want to put this right but actually they've got very expensive lawyers who argue every case. About the most expensive lawyers in London got doing this. What are they doing that for?"

  3. Background to the Post Office scandal

    Man poses outside High Court as post masters appeal convictionsAFP

    The Horizon scandal may have been known about for some time, but let’s remind ourselves of the basics:

    • More than 700 branch managers were convicted of false accounting, theft and fraud between 1999 and 2015 because of a faulty accounting system, Horizon, which made it look like money was missing from their sites
    • Some sub-postmasters wrongfully went to prison, many were financially ruined and forced to declare bankruptcy - and some have since died
    • It's been called the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history
    • The Metropolitan Police is investigating possible fraud offences arising from the prosecutions and a public inquiry into the scandal is ongoing
    • To date, 93 convictions have been overturned - of those, only 30 people have agreed "full and final settlements"
    • Many victims are still fighting to have their convictions overturned or to secure full compensation after being forced to pay out thousands of pounds of their own money for shortfalls that were caused by the faulty software

  4. Government under pressure over Post Office scandal

    Sam Hancock
    Live reporter

    Hello and welcome along to our coverage of the Post Office Horizon scandal as pressure builds on Downing Street to take action on the 700 or so Post Office branch managers convicted of false accounting, theft and fraud based on faulty software.

    It's true that this saga has been public knowledge for some time - with the prosecutions taking place between 1999 and 2015 - but it's been thrust back into the spotlight after an ITV drama aired last week.

    Amid widespread reaction to the programme, PM Rishi Sunak told the BBC on Sunday that new measures are being considered to clear the names of the hundreds of sub-postmasters and mistresses.

    And all this comes as Justice Secretary Alex Chalk is due to meet Kevin Hollinrake, the minister responsible for the Post Office, to discuss how those wrongfully convicted could be cleared.

    It's me here with my colleagues Thomas Mackintosh and Krystyna Gajda - stay with us for the latest.