What is the Post Office scandal?
- Published
The government says it is looking at options to clear the names of hundreds of sub-postmasters who were accused of stealing, and in some cases sent to prison, when they hadn't done anything wrong.
Speaking to Parliament on Wednesday 10 January, ministers announced they would use emergency laws to do this and would also give compensation to those affected.
The Scottish government also announced similar plans for those convicted in Scotland, which has a separate legal system.
Hundreds of Post Office workers were punished after faulty computer software they were using - called Horizon - made it look like money was going missing.
Here's what happened, and why the Horizon Post Office scandal is in the news right now.
What is the Post Office scandal?
Alan Bates was a key figure in taking legal action against the Post Office
Between 1999 and 2015, 736 Post Office workers - called sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses - were wrongly convicted for stealing after a computer system muddled up calculations about the amount of money they were making in their individual branches.
In 1999, the Post Office introduced a new computer system called Horizon - created by tech company, Fujitsu.
But many staff complained that the computer system wasn't working properly. They said it often had tech issues and showed inaccuracies, sometimes adding up to thousands of pounds.
A Post Office is a business that deals in the sending and receiving of mail.
Letters, parcels and official documents can be approved and sent via a Post Office. You can also buy stamps, packaging and greetings cards.
A sub-postmaster or sub-postmistress is a person who takes responsibility for the everyday running of a Post Office, including the money going in and out of the business.
But the Post Office insisted the errors could not be caused by the computer system and over 700 workers were accused of stealing or losing money from the business.
Some people were made to pay back the money and some even went to jail for a crime they did not commit.
What was the effect on the postal workers?
An ITV drama about his experience has brought the story back into the news
Many of the accused had to use their own money to make up for the apparent losses, which they often couldn't afford. Many maintained their innocence and said they had repeatedly raised issues about problems with Horizon.
Some went to prison and others say they were treated criminals and liars and faced abuse from people who believed they had stolen the money.
After 20 years, campaigners won a legal battle to have their cases looked at again but so far only 93 of the 736 convictions have been reversed.
Shown over the Christmas period, a new ITV drama about the case has caused a lot of anger and put the story back in the headlines and forced politicians to respond.
Asked why it had taken a drama to inspire action on a problem known about for many years, Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake said the show had moved the public as well as people in government.
"We are people ourselves of course. We watch TV ourselves and see this stuff, and we and other people within government realise this is a situation we've got to resolve," he said.
What's happening now?
Many of the workers could be owed compensation - money given to them for any financial losses and hardship they have been through.
The TV drama has also led to more of pressure being on the Royal Mail and Fujitsu and their bosses about their role in the scandal.
At the moment an investigation into what happened - called a public inquiry - is taking place and the government says those to blame will be "held to account".
Paula Vennell, a former top boss of the Post Office during the period in question - who was featured in the drama - has now said she will hand back her CBE, a special award from the Queen, given to her in 2019 "for services to the Post Office and to charity".
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has called for Fujitsu - the company behind the software - to "face the consequences" if found to be at fault.
The Metropolitan Police also says it is investigating the Post Office and the way it handled the cases.
PM Rishi Sunak is under pressure to act quickly on the matter of helping to overturn the wrong convictions of the Post Office staff
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the scandal as "appalling", saying: "It's important that all those affected get the support they need, which I am pleased is happening and we will keep going as quickly as possible."
On Wednesday 10 January, he told the House of Commons that those previously convicted in England and Wales would be cleared of wrongdoing and compensated under a new law, and Downing Street added that its aim was to complete the process by the end of 2024.