Former Post Office Boss Denies Need to “Clear Name” Amid Horizon Scandal Inquiry

The outgoing chief executive of the Post Office, Nick Read, has asserted that he does not need to clear his name despite facing criticism over his leadership during the Horizon IT scandal, Sky News reports.

Read made the comments as he began giving evidence to the ongoing inquiry into the scandal, which saw over 900 sub-postmasters wrongly prosecuted for theft due to faulty software.

Read, who took over from Paula Vennells in 2019, has been accused of prioritizing his own salary over compensation for victims and failing to address the organization’s culture. He is set to step down from his role next year.

Responding to Sky News’ question about whether the inquiry represented his last chance to clear his name, Read said:

“I’m not really sure I’ve got to clear my name.”

The inquiry, meanwhile, has been met with tragic news: one of its core participants, Gillian Blakey, passed away last week before receiving her final compensation settlement. Blakey and her husband were wrongly accused of theft at their Lincolnshire branch, leading to her dismissal and his wrongful conviction.

Inquiry chairman Sir Wyn Williams expressed regret.

“My understanding is that Mrs Blakey had not received additional compensation to which she was entitled. That must be a matter of great regret for all concerned,” Williams said.

This incident highlights the ongoing concern about the slow pace of compensation for victims, despite the establishment of four separate schemes.

Read admitted to the inquiry that he was not fully aware of the “scale and enormity” of the scandal before taking the helm in 2019.

He also acknowledged that some within the Post Office may have held the view that not all exonerated sub-postmasters were innocent. However, he maintained that “the majority of the organisation would agree that the action that has been taken is absolutely the right action,” and the question of whether there were guilty postmasters who were wrongly cleared is no longer relevant.