'We are committed': Government promises to deliver redress to subpostmasters amid criticism

Earlier on Wednesday, the prime minister reacted to the criticism from a former subpostmaster, ITV News Reporter Chloe Keedy has the latest

The government has reacted after former subpostmaster Jo Hamilton said many of those falsely accused during the Horizon scandal had still not been paid compensation.

Ms Hamilton made the comments while addressing the audience at the National Television Awards on Wednesday evening.

She was one of a group of real subpostmasters who joined the cast of ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office on stage, after they won three prizes during the ceremony.

Ms Hamilton, who is portrayed by Monica Dolan in the series, told the audience she was disappointed by the lack of movement on compensation payments since the election.

"What I want you to know is that I went to Westminster a couple of weeks back and saw the new minister," she said.

"And trust me, nothing has changed. Almost all of these people behind me haven't been paid yet," she added, referencing the other former subpostmasters beside her on stage.

Ms Hamilton said that out of a group of 555 former subpostmasters awaiting compensation, more than 300 had not yet been paid.

She added that Sir Alan Bates, the campaign leader and focus of the drama, was among that number.

"They've offered him 30% of his claim," she said.

In response, Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas told ITV News that he continues to meet subpostmasters and promises he is "working with them so they get the redress they deserve“.

He added "almost £290 million has been paid to over 2,800 claimants across four compensation schemes, but we know there is more to be done, and we are committed to ensuring every postmaster receives full and fair redress as quickly as possible."

Sir Keir Starmer echoed Thomas and said the government is "getting on as quickly as we can" with the compensation scheme.

Asked about Ms Hamilton's remarks, he told a press conference in Central London: "Obviously almost everywhere we look, there's a bigger problem than anticipated. Everything pretty well has been broken by the last government.

"So, we are getting on with it as quickly as we can. I did make that commitment and I stick by that commitment, we'll get on with it just as quickly as we can."

The compensation scheme for former subpostmasters was launched by the previous Conservative government under Rishi Sunak, and applies to those who won a landmark civil case against the Post Office in 2019.

More than 700 subpostmasters were prosecuted by the Post Office and given criminal convictions between 1999 and 2015, as Fujitsu's faulty Horizon IT system made it appear as though money was missing from their branches.

One former subpostmaster who is yet to be paid, Lee Castleton, told ITV News that the governments comments didn't give him any confidence.

Mr Castleton, was pursued over a £25,000 shortfall at his branch in 2004 that he didn't steal.

"They're not doing what they say they're going to do, everything is just the same as it was all these years. Everybody in our group is having to fight tooth and nail.

"We're just modest people, just small people who want to get on with our lives."

Mr Bates vs The Post Office took home three trophies at the NTA ceremony, taking each winning opportunity to honour the victims.

Toby Jones, who portrayed Sir Alan Bates in the drama, won the best drama performance gong.

In his acceptance speech, he said: "This means an awful lot, not just to me but to the extraordinary people who inspired our show."

But the actor later said in the winner's room that the show's success was "a great opportunity to renew the pressure on the government."

"We're still waiting for the government to make a commitment to pay the compensation by the end of the year."

"I'm sure one of the reasons that the show had been so popular is because there's popular will that that should happen sooner rather than later," he said.

Actress Monica Dolan, who played Jo Hamilton, said it was "absolutely incredible" for the show to win a prize, adding "I want to finish by saying a very, very big thank you to all the subpostmasters."

"Their trust in us to tell their story has been the privilege of our lives."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…