Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Independent inquiry urged to demand immediate compensation for affected post office workers

Independent inquiry urged to demand immediate compensation for affected post office workers

THE independent inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal has been urged to demand immediate compensation for wrongly convicted workers, The Guardian reported.

Addressing a preliminary hearing of the inquiry, Sam Stein QC, acting for 151 post office operators, said any attempt by the Post Office and government to put the issue of compensation on the back burner until the end of the inquiry must be resisted, the report added.


“Frankly, we are concerned that Post Office Ltd and BEIS (department for business, energy and industrial strategy) may use the lifetime of the inquiry to obfuscate and say: ‘We need to wait and see what the inquiry says’ before they act," Stein was quoted as saying the inquiry chair, the retired high court judge Sir Wyn Williams, by the newspaper.

“The Post Office has had plenty of time to sort this out with the government. They should not be permitted to add to the extent of the Post Office scandal by doing nothing, delaying payment, prolonging suffering and avoiding responsibility. Instead, we suggest that this inquiry should demand urgent and immediate action.”

The inquiry probes how hundreds of post office workers were wrongfully accused of theft, fraud and false accounting as a result of computer errors.

Stein told Monday’s (8) hearing that despite judgments in the court of appeal quashing the convictions of scores of post office workers, victims had still not received adequate compensation.

Campaigners believe that as many as 900 operators may have been prosecuted and convicted between 2000 and 2014 because the defective Horizon IT system falsely suggested there were cash shortfalls.

According to Stein, the claimants’ legal costs should be refunded. £46m of legal costs were incurred by 555 claimants when the Post Office settled a civil claim with them for £57.75m, leaving them with a net amount of less than £22,000 each, he added.

“We say this: Post Office Ltd and BEIS need to recognise that payments of proper and full compensation, [and] the return of legal costs, is required now – that means immediately and not at some unknown point in the future, nor subject to continuing discussions,” he said during the hearing.

Stein added: "When the inquiry started in earnest next year, it would hear accounts of post office workers who died before the names could be cleared, who contemplated or attempted suicide and whose children were bullied and spat at because of the stigma that came with the wrongful accusations."

More For You

Norman Tebbit
Following Thatcher’s third general election victory in 1987, Tebbit stepped back from frontline politics to care for his wife. (Photo: Getty Images)

What was the Tebbit Test and why was it controversial?

LORD NORMAN TEBBIT, the former cabinet minister who introduced the controversial “cricket test” to question the loyalty of migrants, has died at the age of 94. The test, later known as the “Tebbit Test,” suggested that immigrants who supported cricket teams from their countries of origin instead of England were not fully integrated into British society. His death was confirmed on Monday by his son, William, who asked for privacy for the family.

Tebbit first spoke about the test in 1990 as a Conservative MP. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said, “A large proportion of Britain's Asian population fail to pass the cricket test. Which side do they cheer for? It’s an interesting test. Are you still harking back to where you came from or where you are?”

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India crash probe finds fuel to engines was cut off before impact

Highlights

 
     
  • Fuel to both engines of the Air India flight was cut off seconds before the crash
  •  
  • A pilot was heard questioning the other over the cut-off; both denied initiating it.
  •  
  • The Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
  •  
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel switch movement; full analysis may take months.

FUEL control switches to both engines of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position seconds before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report released early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have consistently reported Chinese research vessel presence. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

A Chinese research vessel was detected operating in the Bay of Bengal near Indian waters while attempting to conceal its presence by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to a report by The Economic Times, citing French maritime intelligence firm Unseenlabs.

The French company conducted a 16-day satellite-based survey tracking ships through radio frequency emissions. It monitored 1,897 vessels, with 9.6 per cent showing no AIS activity, indicating attempts to avoid detection. The survey raised concerns amid increased Chinese activity in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England

iStock

England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

Highlights:

  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
  • Hosepipe bans announced in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex
  • Temperatures could reach 33°C over the weekend
  • Health risks rise, especially for elderly and vulnerable groups

Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, East of England, and London. Additional yellow alerts were issued for the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, starting from midday Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less