Beth Rigby: Rishi Sunak is probably not behind Post Office scandal – however he cannot afford to not put it to mattress

Rishi Sunak started 2023 hounded by the contamination of the Johnson and Truss premierships, and kicks off 2024 weighed down by what occurred on David Cameron’s watch, because the a whole bunch of Post Office managers wrongly criminalised and convicted comes again to hang-out his new yr. 

Travelling to Accrington within the marginal seat of Hynburn on Monday to present his first large stump speech of the yr, the prime minister wished to make use of this second to implore voters to stay with him reasonably than “going back to square one with Starmer”.

Ex-judge to chair panel into Post Office scandal – politics newest

But as an alternative of being alive to his election pitch, activists and native enterprise leaders within the viewers appeared most animated when Mr Sunak was requested concerning the Horizon scandal.

The ITV dramatisation of the plight of Alan Bates, a sub-postmaster being wrongfully accused of theft and fraud, has ignited nationwide outrage.

It appears astonishing that it has taken a TV drama to create the cut-through wanted to show a scandal occurring for years into a difficulty that calls for consideration and answer now.

Firmly on the high of the PM’s in-tray, the strain is now on for Mr Sunak to fulfill that second and act shortly to exonerate and compensate a whole bunch of victims.

When requested at his speech concerning the scandal, the PM mentioned as chancellor he accredited the compensation schemes and advised his viewers “people should know we are on it and want to make this right”.

The authorities was taking a look at the way it may pace the method up, he added.

Later, enterprise minister Kevin Hollinrake advised the House of Commons the federal government has devised choices to overturn convictions at tempo and pace up compensation for the remaining 750 postmasters.

He additionally introduced plans for a retired High Court decide, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, to deliver impartial oversight of compensation funds.

Gearing up the federal government machine to understand the nettle displays what’s at stake, not only for the victims nonetheless awaiting justice however for a authorities going into an election yr.

The hazard for the prime minister is that this turns into one other contagion challenge, as he seems to scrub up the mess not correctly handled in earlier administrations.

He does have some cowl right here as a result of on the time the prosecutions started, the Conservatives have been in collation authorities with the Lib Dems, and it was their chief Sir Ed Davey who was the put up workplace minister on the time.

So questions for Sir Ed now to reply too.

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As for Labour, the outrage over this scandal offers the Tories’ most important rivals an apparent new stick with beat Mr Sunak with in terms of the Conservatives’ document in authorities.

Sir Keir Starmer will certainly drop the Horizon debacle squarely into his “things they got wrong” field as he tries to promote to the nation his message that, after practically 14 years of Tory rule, it is time for change.

With that in thoughts, the prime minister has to behave shortly to place this scandal to mattress as soon as and for all. And for as soon as, he has the entire House of Commons behind him to do it.