Kemi Badenoch and former Post Office chair locked in war of words

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On Monday, Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, got into a verbal conflict with the previous Post Office chair, Henry Staunton. She accused him of making unfounded and extreme claims regarding the government's management of the Horizon scandal.

During a parliament session, Badenoch strongly criticized Staunton's allegations that he had been instructed to postpone compensations for sub-postmasters who were wrongly sentenced due to the defective IT system.

The minister, Badenoch, criticized Staunton - a well-known business figure - in an aggressive and uncommon manner. Staunton lost his job recently and his comments were labeled as "disgraceful" and an obvious attempt to get back at his former employer. Badenoch went on to say that Staunton had provided no proof to back up his claims.

Staunton responded strongly in a written message, cautioning that he had acknowledged the demand to delay payment in an email to coworkers that can be traced on the Post Office's computer network.

He stated that it was important for both the business and the postmasters to have a quicker process for clearing their names and receiving adequate compensation for their wrongful convictions. However, no significant action was taken until after the release of the TV show "Mister Bates" which depicted the scandal.

The statement mentioned that it's up to other people to decide why it happened that way. Furthermore, they added that Mr. Staunton doesn't usually make up stories or create things that aren't true.

On Sunday, Staunton revealed that he was abruptly dismissed from his position by Badenoch last month. Staunton claimed that Badenoch had uttered the remark "someone's got to take the rap" regarding the IT debacle.

Before holding the position of the head of a store that sells paper goods called WHSmith, Staunton declared during an interview with the Sunday Times that he was instructed by a government worker to delay providing compensation to those affected by the Horizon issue. The purpose was to prevent the government from facing substantial payments that could impact their ability to run for office.

Badenoch announced in Parliament that she had removed Staunton from his position as chair due to some major concerns regarding his behavior. She mentioned that he was accused of attempting to circumvent the public appointment procedure and there were serious allegations of bullying brought up against him.

Staunton rejected Badenoch's accusation that he tried to circumvent the board appointment procedures and stated that her allegations about bullying were not brought up to him before. This occurred on Monday.

A request for a response regarding Staunton's statement was made to the department in charge of business.

Over 900 sub-postmasters were found guilty in legal situations where Fujitsu's defective Horizon IT system was implicated. The IT system was implemented in 1999 and over 700 cases were litigated by the Post Office.

A large number of postmasters were impacted when they were charged for missing funds, and the government has so far given out at least £138mn from a reserved sum of £1bn for compensation. A lot of those who were wrongly accused are still waiting to receive offers for compensation.

Jonathan Reynolds, who is the opposition's business secretary, has demanded that the Cabinet Office investigate the allegations made by Staunton. Reynolds has also demanded that all communication between Badenoch's department and the Post Office concerning this issue be disclosed publicly.

According to Reynolds, the scandals like Bloody Sunday and the Windrush affair have shaken people's trust in the government. Additionally, Staunton's remarks will create further worry, particularly for those who are victims of the contaminated blood scandal.

The authorities have faced criticism for not taking swift action in response to the scandal that led to numerous people contracting HIV and hepatitis C from contaminated blood transfusions. However, it is anticipated that the government will soon unveil a comprehensive compensation plan for those who were affected.

Badenoch stated that her department plans to release a summary of the discussion that took place when Staunton was let go. Additionally, they are contemplating the possibility of releasing any written exchanges between the government and Staunton through the Freedom of Information regulations.

She declared that she would not release the communication exchanged between her division and the Post Office that is currently under investigation in the ongoing Horizon public inquiry.

No information was provided by Downing Street regarding whether Badenoch shared with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak an authorized report of her discussion with Staunton, where she dismissed him last month. Also, it was denied that Staunton was instructed to delay making compensation payments to postmasters.

Number 10 stated that they are denying the accusations made by Staunton. They also informed that Staunton was terminated from his position due to crucial worries about his behavior and his capacity to administer fair judgement to postmasters.

The government stated that they took action to fast-track compensation for the victims. Additionally, the government clarified that Staunton had misrepresented their conversation, according to Badenoch.