Alan Bates should get honour now ex-Post Office boss has given up CBE, MPs say

Campaigners are demanding Alan Bates is given an honour after Paula Vennells lastly handed again her CBE.

The former Post Office boss mentioned she had “listened” after 1.2million folks signed a petition calling for her to be stripped of the gong. MPs mentioned Mr Bates, the ex-postmaster who led the decades-long combat to reveal the scandal, needs to be recognised with honours.

The Mirror revealed final month that he had turned down an OBE as he believed it will be a “slap in the face” to the victims to simply accept it whereas Ms Vennells nonetheless held her CBE.

Tory former Cabinet minister David Jones, who’s his native MP in Colwyn Bay, mentioned it will be “absolutely” applicable for him to be re-nominated following her resolution. “Alan Bates has obviously done a huge amount to expose what was going on at the Post Office,” he told the Mirror.

“He said previously he did not want to accept any honour while she still retained hers but I very much hope he will be nominated again and will get the OBE. Personally speaking, I think that if Ms Vennells had the CBE, I think that he would easily be worth that.”

Labour MP Kevan Jones, who is a member of the Horizon compensation advisory board, said: “Alan Bates should definitely take up his OBE but I think he deserves an honour much higher for all his efforts.”

Downing Street declined to say whether Mr Bates could be re-nominated for an OBE. It is understood the Government could award him with an honour immediately without waiting for the King’s Birthday Honours in June if it wanted.

The PM’s spokesman said: “I believe each Mr Bates and lots of others deserve enormous quantities of reward for the tenacity and dedication they’ve proven in exposing this scandal. It’s proper that’s recognised and we’d assist additional recognition of that however once more there’s a course of for the honours committee which we would not need to step throughout”.

In a statement Ms Vennells, who was CEO of the Post Office from 2012 to 2019, said: “I’ve to this point maintained my silence as I thought of it inappropriate to remark publicly whereas the inquiry stays ongoing and earlier than I’ve offered my oral proof. I’m, nevertheless, conscious of the calls from sub-postmasters and others to return my CBE. I’ve listened and I verify that I return my CBE with quick impact.”

She added: “I’m really sorry for the devastation precipitated to the sub-postmasters and their households, whose lives have been torn aside by being wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted because of the Horizon system. I now intend to proceed to concentrate on helping the inquiry and won’t make any additional public remark till it has concluded.”

Ms Vennells last issued a statement in April 2021 apologising to subpostmasters after 39 had their convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal in a historic judgement.

Jo Hamilton, a former subpostmistress, said she was “glad” the ex-Post Office boss had handed back the award, but added: “It’s a disgrace it took simply one million folks to cripple her conscience.”

Ms Hamilton, who was wrongfully convicted in 2008 of stealing thousands of pounds from the village shop in South Warnborough, Hampshire, said: “It exhibits the folks have spoken – about all the pieces actually. It’s not nearly her CBE, it is about how disgusting the entire thing is.”

Ms Vennells also faced calls to hand back performance-related bonuses from her time at the Post Office. The Communication Workers Union said: “Her time at the Post Office has forever tarnished this once-great national institution. But for her, it involved receiving millions of pounds in pay and performance-related bonuses. Since she received these bonuses while overseeing the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history, it would only be right to return this money.”

Robin Priestly, the marketing campaign director at 38 Degrees the place the petition to strip the previous Post Office boss of her CBE was launched, mentioned: “This is an unbelievable instance of individuals energy in motion. Over the previous few days, greater than 1.2 million folks have referred to as for Paula Vennells to be stripped of her CBE, pushing the marketing campaign to the highest of the information agenda and making it unimaginable to disregard.”