Poll exhibits the nation believes Post Office hero Alan Bates ought to get knighthood

A ballot has discovered the nation backs our name for Post Office hero Alan Bates to be awarded with a knighthood.

We imagine the campaigning ex-postmaster must be recognised for main the decades-long combat for justice.

Now polling exhibits the general public are behind our combat with 60% saying they imagine he must be handed a knighthood. Just 8% are towards him being given the honour, based on the survey that was carried out for the Mirror by Redfield and Wilton.

The outcomes will pile strain on Rishi Sunak to behave by nominating him for a knighthood, which might imply he would grow to be referred to as Sir Alan. Usually honours are introduced to mark the New Year and the Monarch’s birthday, however in particular circumstances they will also be awarded at different occasions.

Sub-postmasters had been wrongly blamed after the Horizon IT system mistakenly steered hundreds of kilos had been lacking from their branches. More than 900 had been prosecuted over the shortfalls, main many to go bankrupt. Some had been even jailed with a minimum of 4 of the accused dying by suicide.

Sign our petition HERE to present Post Office hero Alan Bates a knighthood

The ballot discovered that 77% help a Government plan to overturn the wrongful convictions and provides the victims compensation. More than three quarters (76%) stated that Fujitsu, the Japanese agency that made the Horizon IT system, ought to contribute to the compensation.

Some 74% imagine that former Post Office boss Paula Vennells must be compelled handy again the £2.2million she was paid in bonuses whereas in cost. Almost two thirds (63%) would help prison prosecutions being introduced towards those that pursued sub-postmasters by way of the courts.

Redfield and Wilton interviewed 1,500 adults in Britain on-line on January 17 and 18.

More than 132,000 individuals have now signed our petition on the 38 Degrees web site calling for Mr Bates to obtain an honour. He has grow to be a nationwide treasure after hundreds of thousands watched his lengthy and painful combat for justice portrayed within the ITV drama, Mr Bates vs the Post Office.

The former sub-postmaster, who was performed by Toby Jones, has campaigned tirelessly for 20 years to reveal the reality concerning the Post Office scandal and get justice for these whose lives it destroyed. He and his associate Suzanne Sercombe took over a store in Llandudno that included a publish workplace counter in 1998, investing £65,000 within the enterprise.

But his contract was terminated in 2003 after the introduction of the Post Office’s new Horizon laptop system led to unexplained losses appeared in his accounts. He led a bunch of greater than 500 postmasters in taking the Post Office to the High Court.

Mr Bates had beforehand turned down an OBE as he believed it might be a “slap in the face” to the victims to just accept an honour whereas ex-Post Office boss Ms Vennells nonetheless held her CBE. After she handed again her gong earlier this month, campaigners have stated he must be recognised.

Sign our petition HERE to present Post Office hero Alan Bates an honour