Row deepens between Badenoch and ex-Post Office chair
Badenoch reports that the former Post Office chair is trying to take revenge.
A journalist who covers the topic of commerce for the British Broadcasting Corporation.
The disagreement between Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch and the Post Office chair she dismissed has intensified, following his claim that he had received instructions to hold off on providing compensation to sub-postmasters.
According to Henry Staunton, he was instructed to delay payments to assist the government in managing their finances leading up to the election. The intention was to help the government get by during the election period.
Ms Badenoch dismissed the allegations as entirely untrue and lambasted him for circulating fabricated stories.
Mr. Staunton has not backed down from his remarks.
A dispute arose over the weekend when the ex-chair of the Post Office claimed in an interview with the Sunday Times that a higher ranking government official instructed him to delay giving compensation to postmasters.
From 1999 to 2015, numerous sub-postmasters and postmistresses faced wrongful prosecution due to a flawed computer system named Horizon, which misrepresented money as missing from their respective branches.
Several sub-postmasters were mistakenly sent to jail, resulting in financial devastation for many. Sadly, a number of them have passed away since then.
The authorities have made a commitment to nullify criminal records and offer reimbursement to those who were wrongfully convicted, but there are worries about the sluggish pace and intricacy of the process for sufferers to obtain financial reimbursement, as only 33 requests have been entirely resolved thus far.
Last month, Ms Badenoch removed Mr Staunton from his position as the Post Office's Chair. He had previously served on the boards of various companies, such as ITV and WH Smith, and was appointed to his role at the Post Office in December 2022.
When speaking to the BBC, she explained that she ousted him due to worries about the way the Post Office was being run, as well as their overall approach towards business. She expressed that their methods simply weren't proving effective.
In an interview with the Sunday Times over the weekend, Mr Staunton revealed that he was instructed by a higher-up in his position to delay spending on compensation and the replacement of Horizon. He was advised to proceed slowly and with hesitation, as evidenced by a note he recorded on the matter - putting "limp" in quotes - with the intention of biding time until the election.
He explained that his decision was based purely on financial considerations, rather than any personal grudge against the postmaster. He declined to inquire further, stating that he wanted no involvement in anything that could potentially compromise the postmasters or jeopardize the fairness of the upcoming election.
The image used in this blog post is sourced from the UK Parliament.
In the previous month, Henry Staunton resigned from his position as the chairman of Post Office.
On Sunday, Ms Badenoch reacted negatively on social media to the comments made by Mr Staunton. The business secretary addressed the House of Commons on Monday and categorically denied the claims made by Mr Staunton, stating that they were entirely baseless and were an attempt at seeking retribution due to his dismissal.
She stated that there is no advantage for us to postpone compensation. There is no notable effect on revenues at all. It would be illogical to even propose that notion.
According to her, there is no proof at all that an official instructed Mr. Staunton to delay payments. In fact, if such a statement was made, it is up to Mr. Staunton to provide the evidence.
After Ms Badenoch's remarks, Mr Staunton's spokesperson affirmed that he still supports his statement. Furthermore, the spokesperson stated that Mr Staunton had documented his statement in a file note which he sent to himself and colleagues via email. As a result, the statement can be traced on the Post Office server.
The statement stated that Mr. Staunton doesn't typically lie and chose to make a public announcement to make sure that everyone knows about the various instances of neglect that have caused postmasters in the country to suffer.
Mr Staunton, in his own words, expressed that the Post Office had a vested interest in quickening the process of proving the innocence of the wrongfully convicted postmasters and increasing the amount of compensation awarded. However, no significant progress was made until the airing of an ITV drama depicting the scandal earlier this year.
"It's up to other people to figure out why that happened," he said in addition.
According to Mr. Staunton, Ms. Badenoch allegedly stated that someone had to bear the responsibility for his termination.
The BBC asked the Post Office for comments on some private emails that may or may not have been sent. However, the Post Office refused to give its opinion on the matter, stating that it would be inappropriate to do so.
The assertions of stalling compensation have been refuted by the government, and Ms Badenoch explicated to members of parliament that her decision to terminate Mr Staunton was influenced by disturbing apprehensions about his conduct as the chair, which were brought up by other directors on the board.
During his tenure, there were claims made about Mr. Staunton's behavior, including bullying, which prompted an official inquiry, according to the speaker. The investigation also revealed doubts concerning his willingness to collaborate with the inquiry.
Ms Badenoch expressed her disappointment towards the individual for sharing untrue information, creating fabricated stories for journalists, and leaking confidential discussions.
After being accused of bullying, a spokesperson for Mr. Staunton commented that they were hearing about this for the first time.
A statement was made that Mr. Staunton has no knowledge of any of his actions that could cause these claims.
The secretary of state did not have any involvement in their upbringing, and this was also the case during the discussion that resulted in Mr. Staunton's termination.
Any behavior like that would be completely unexpected from them.
On Monday, a document detailing the conversation about firing Mr. Staunton on the 27th of January was released. The paper indicated that the secretary in charge of business had been informed about "problems with the leadership" at the Post Office. Furthermore, the accusations against Mr. Staunton were deemed to be "extremely concerning," prompting the government to intervene.
The display did not include the exact phrase "someone has to take responsibility", but Mr Staunton affirmed that he supported his description of the dialogue.
According to Christopher Head, a previous sub-postmaster, the disagreement is a bothersome issue that the individuals affected by the Horizon dispute could do without.
He informed BBC News that they simply desire to receive the compensation they were promised in its entirety and fairly. Unfortunately, they are currently not experiencing that on-site.
The Shadow Business Secretary for Labour, Jonathan Reynolds, stated that there are currently two entirely different versions of events being presented. One account is given by the previous chair of the Post Office, while the other is offered by the Secretary of State.
He stated that only one of these reports can be factual and accurate. He stressed the importance of honesty and examination at this moment.
The belief in the government is almost non-existent due to multiple scandals, according to Reynolds who says it is barely holding on.
Liam Byrne, who is a Labour MP and also heads the Business and Trade Committee, informed the BBC that he had invited Mr. Staunton to participate in a meeting scheduled for next week.
Nick Read, who is the chief executive of the Post Office, and Alan Bates, a previous sub-postmaster who fought against the Post Office and became the inspiration behind the recent ITV drama, will be providing evidence to the committee. This will bring the scandal back into the spotlight.
