Post Office campaigner Sir Alan Bates knighted at Windsor Castle

Sir Alan Bates, the leading campaigner for subpostmasters in the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, has received his knighthood at Windsor Castle.

The 70-year-old, from Wales, is one of more than 550 claimants who have brought legal action against the company, with a public inquiry into what happened in its final stages.

He was recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours in June for his services to justice, having founded the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance.

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 at their branches.

Speaking after receiving a knighthood for his services to justice at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, Sir Alan said the Labour Government has not contacted subpostmasters and has left them “at a standstill” over the scandal.

“They [the Government] haven’t been in contact about what they’re proposing to do yet.

“We think we’ve come to a standstill with most of the schemes in that they don’t seem to be working, they seem to be failing now.”

Sir Alan, of Llandudno, said the original claimants are now calling on the Government to set a deadline for the initial GLO compensation scheme.

He said: “We’re wanting a completion date guaranteed by the Government for the end of March next year, and it’s quite achievable, according to legal discussions I’ve had.

“I think we’ve got to get rid of the bureaucracy that’s holding the whole thing up and driving it into the ground, and it’s proving such a headache for so many of the victims who are still suffering after so many years.”

Sir Alan said: “The Post Office is as bad as ever.

"The financial redress schemes are just not working to the extent that they should, and it’s just a mess.

“It needs to be taken out of Government’s hands, and it needs to be put into an organisation that can resolve things very, very quickly because it’s gone on too long, and people are still suffering.”

The campaigner said he has “great hopes” for the ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation into potential individuals and corporate entities involved in the scandal, but feels it will take “at least a couple of years” for any charges to be brought.

Sir Alan was knighted by the Princess Royal on Wednesday for his services to justice, having been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours in June.

Sir Alan was portrayed by actor Toby Jones in the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, with the four-part mini-series helping to renew attention on the scandal.

Reacting to his knighthood in June, he told the PA news agency: “It was a bit of a surprise, it sort of came out of the blue.

“I’m quite honoured by it – to be recognised for the work that I’ve done over the years.

“It’s been a hard slog over many years.”

Sir Alan previously turned down being made an OBE while ex-Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells held on to her CBE award because it “felt wrong”, but calls for him to be knighted after Ms Vennells returned her honour were backed by Number 10 earlier this year.

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