Former coalition government ministers were manipulated by civil servants who prioritized their own interests during the emergence of a scandal at the Post Office, according to former subpostmaster Sir Alan Bates. At a recent public inquiry hearing on the Post Office scandal, current Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey and former leader Jo Swinson were questioned about their time as ministers during the scandal.
Davey was responsible for the Post Office from 2010 to 2012, while Swinson took over until the end of the coalition government in 2015. Bates claimed that civil servants tightly controlled them, leading to a cover-up of subpostmasters being falsely accused and prosecuted by the Post Office based on faulty computer evidence. He emphasized that the problems faced by victims seeking redress today are due to the same issues.
Davey and Swinson revealed how officials at Shareholder Executive (now UK Government Investments) obstructed their efforts to address the Post Office scandal. Swinson described the civil servants as Orwellian and duplicitous, withholding crucial information from her. Despite asking probing questions, some were left unanswered, with officials assuring her they would follow up, but ultimately failing to do so. The lack of transparency and accountability from civil servants was a major hindrance to addressing the scandal.
Swinson also highlighted how she was kept in the dark about crucial discussions at the Post Office board regarding the potential dismissal of CEO Paula Vennells. She expressed frustration at the lack of information provided to her and felt marginalized in decision-making processes.
Davey admitted that he was misled by both government officials and the Post Office about the reliability of the Horizon system. Civil servants provided him with inaccurate information, leading to a false sense of confidence in the system. The ongoing manipulation and deceit by civil servants further complicated efforts to address the scandal.
Overall, the testimony from former ministers and subpostmasters paints a troubling picture of how civil servants obstructed efforts to address the Post Office scandal, perpetuating a culture of cover-up and misinformation. The scandal remains one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history and highlights the need for transparency and accountability within government institutions.