Petition to strip former Post Office boss Paula Vennells of CBE passes 800,000 signatures

A petition calling for a former Post Office boss to have her CBE taken away over the Horizon scandal has surpassed its original target of 800,000 signatures.

As of Saturday night, the petition demanding Paula Vennells, who oversaw the organisation while it routinely denied there were problems with its faulty Horizon IT system, should be stripped of her honour reached 800,000 signatures - with a new goal set to 900,000.

It comes after the release of Mr Bates vs the Post Office, an ITV drama that tells the story of injustice that struck the lives of around 700 postmasters and mistresses who were charged with fraud and theft, based on evidence from a faulty computer system.

The Horizon scandal has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history.

A public inquiry into the scandal is ongoing.

Scotland Yard said on Friday evening that officers are “investigating potential fraud offences arising out of these prosecutions”, for example “monies recovered from sub-postmasters as a result of prosecutions or civil actions”.

Watch the trailer for ITV's Mr Bates vs the Post Office

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declined to say whether Ms Vennells should lose her honour, while the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer stressed that compensation for victims is “overdue”.

Sir Keir told ITV News: “I thought that programme was really powerful in exposing a scandal, a miscarriage of justice on a very wide scale.

“I actually know some individuals who’ve been caught up with this, and I know the impact it’s had on their mental health as much as anything else.

“Whether she hands back her award is really a matter for her. But I do think there’s a more important point in many senses here, compensation for these victims is overdue.

"It was due in December. The Treasury have… set the money aside, but the government hasn’t paid it.

“So I say to the government, get on and do the right thing and pay the compensation to the victims of this miscarriage.”

Postal services minister Kevin Hollinrake this week added to calls for Ms Vennells to lose her CBE, telling ITV’s Good Morning Britain she should “seriously consider handing that back voluntarily” .

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