The prime minister has said a new law will be introduced so people wrongly convicted in the Horizon scandal are “swiftly exonerated and compensated”.
In the first Prime Minister’s Questions of the year, Rishi Sunak said he plans to make sure those convicted as part of the Post Office scandal get exonerated through an act of parliament.
As well as announcing the introduction of new primary legislation – which has yet to be published or given a timetable for voting – Mr Sunak said those who were part of the group litigation order against the Post Office would be eligible for an “upfront payment of £75,000”.
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The government has come under increased pressure to take action on the Horizon scandal following the airing of ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office last week.
More than 700 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were prosecuted for accounting errors relying on data from the faulty Horizon software.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Sunak said: “Mr Speaker, this is one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history.
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“People who worked hard to serve their communities had their lives and their reputations destroyed through absolutely no fault of their own.
“The victims must get justice and compensation. Sir Wyn Williams’ inquiry is undertaking crucial work to undo, to expose what went wrong, and we’ve paid almost £150m in compensation to over to 2,500 victims.
“But today I can announce that we will introduce new primary legislation to make sure that those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal are swiftly exonerated and compensated.
“We will also introduce a new upfront payment of £75,000 for the vital [Group Litigation Order] group of postmasters.”
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Numerous ways to fast-track the overturning of convictions had been mooted prior to today’s announcement.
Some had called for a mass appeal before the Court of Appeal, while others wanted legislation to overturn the convictions or even a pardon from the King.
It is not clear exactly how the mechanics of the Commons overturning hundreds of prosecutions will work.
Sir Keir Stamer, the Labour leader, indicated earlier this week that his party would support an attempt through law to overturn the convictions.
Responding to Mr Sunak today, Sir Keir said: “Mr Speaker, I heard what the prime minister just said about the Post Office scandal – it is a huge injustice.
“People lost their lives, their liberty and their livelihood, and they’ve been waiting far too long for the truth, for justice, and for compensation.
“So I’m glad the prime minister is putting forward a proposal.
“We will look at the details, and I think it’s the job of all of us to make sure that it delivers the justice that is so needed.”
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Last year, the government announced that every wrongly convicted sub-postmaster and sub-postmistress would be offered £600,000 in compensation.
In 2019, the Post Office agreed to pay £58m to 555 sub-postmaster and sub-mistresses.
