Paula Vennells, a former postmaster, will return her CBE. Photo: TOM STOCKHILL
Disgraced former postmaster Paula Vennells has succumbed to pressure to have her CBE returned amid anger over her role in the Horizon IT scandal.
She has announced she will forfeit the honour. “immediately” after Rishi Sunak intervened and said he would support her. he is deprived.
Her decision will put pressure on Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader who was then Post Office Secretary, to return his knighthood.
More than 700 branch managers have been sentenced after a faulty computer program. look like money is missing from their stores.
The accounting software was developed by Japanese technology firm Fujitsu, which is facing claims to pay millions in compensation to victims.
In one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history, Downing Street is now considering full acquittal of those found guilty.
In a statement, Ms Vennells broke her long silence on the scandal to address growing demands for a return she is honored.
“I am aware of calls from deputy postmasters and others to return my CBE,” she said. “I have listened and confirm that I will return my CBE immediately.
“I am truly sorry for the devastation caused to deputy postmasters and their families whose lives have been ruined by wrongful allegations and unfair prosecutions as a result of the Horizon system.”
Ms Vennells added that she had previously felt it would be “inappropriate to comment publicly” before she gives evidence to a public inquiry into the scandal.
Her statement was welcomed by Mr Sunak, with a Downing Street spokesman saying it was “clearly ” right decision” to lose honor.
“Our focus remains on ensuring that all those whose lives have been destroyed have faster access to compensation and justice,” he added.
Fury over the scandal has focused on Ms Vennells , who joined the Post Office in 2007, she rose through the ranks and became its CEO in 2012.
She was awarded a CBE for services to “diversity and inclusion” in the honors list in January 2019, a month before she resigned from her role.
More than 1.2 million people have signed a petition calling for her to be stripped of the honor, with senior members of Parliament joining in on the demands.
Officially revoke the honor
King Charles will now have to formally revoke the honor honor. The award was presented to the former Postmaster General by his mother, the late Elizabeth II.
Ms Vennells will then have to return her insignia to Buckingham Palace and will no longer be able to refer to it in the future. to receive a CBE.
Senior Tories welcomed her decision and suggested it should encourage Sir Ed to consider returning the knighthood he received in 2016.
Brendan Clarke-Smith, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, said: “While it still falls far short of achieving justice for deputy postmasters, bringing back the CBE is the right thing to do.”
“Perhaps this should set a precedent and it is time for other public figures to do the same.”
Richard Tice, leader of Reform UK, added: “Vennells belatedly did the right thing. The nation hopes Sir Ed Davey will do the right thing.”
The Lib Dem leader also faced anger from deputy postmasters who said he should be held accountable for his failure to act on the Horizon scandal.
Yvonne Treacy, a former postmistress who is also a councilor for his Kingston and Surbiton ward, said: “I think Ed's denials and evasions are disgraceful.
“It's time for Ed to do the right thing and get his knighthood back.”< /p>
When asked whether Sir Ed would return his knighthood, a Liberal Democrat spokesman replied: “No, he won’t. As Ed has said many times, he wishes he knew then what we all know now.
“It is true that Vennells got her CBE back; she was at the center of a conspiracy of lies against victims, the public and ministers of all parties.”
The Lib Dem leader has come under fire since it emerged he had rejected request to meet with campaign deputy postmaster Alan Bates in 2010.
Mr Bates, whose fight for justice was turned into an ITV drama, eventually gave up trying to deal with Sir Ed and blamed him is that he repeats the phrases of the post office.
“An attempt to evade responsibility”
Sir Ed did it later. met with a group of deputy postmasters and says he raised their concerns with the company but bosses lied to him, saying it was unfounded.
He told The Guardian: “We were reassured time and time again that the Horizon System worked . We were told that not many postmasters were affected. We've just been told so many lies.
“We absolutely need to fully rehabilitate these people – their sentences must be overturned. The Post Office lied to judges and courts.”
But senior Conservatives accused him of trying to evade responsibility and said he should have been more forceful in demanding answers from leaders.
Sir Edward Leigh, a Conservative MP and former postmaster general, said it was “reprehensible” that The Lib Dem leader is 'trying to dodge a bullet'.
Sir John Redwood, a former cabinet minister, added: 'He could have listened to those who knew something was wrong. His job was to control or change management.”
A Conservative spokesman accused Sir Ed of “running away” and said he should “cooperate fully with the public inquiry to help explain why this happened to ensure it never happens again.”
Mr Tice said Sir Ed had failed to “ask the right questions that voters expected from a Crown minister” and he should resign as leader of the Lib Dems.< /p>
“Ed Davey applied what I would call it a lazy, complacent 'trust the leaders' approach, as opposed to being a diligent and conscientious minister who challenged the establishment and the status quo and didn't accept what he was told,” he told the Telegraph.
Allies said the Lib Dem leader, who was post office minister from May 2010 to February 2012, was being made a scapegoat.
A source close to him insisted: “As said yesterday Alan Bates, Ed was one of many ministers who were misled and lied to by the Post Office.”
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