Sources have told the BBC that Paula Vennells, the former boss of the Post Office, was shortlisted to be appointed as Bishop of London in 2017. Despite being an ordained Anglican priest, Vennells did not hold a senior position in the Church of England. It has been suggested that the Archbishop of Canterbury pushed her application, and that he was seen as one of her supporters.
Vennells has returned the CBE that she was awarded in 2019 “with immediate effect” amid fallout from the Horizon scandal which occurred during her leadership of the Post Office between 2012 and 2019. The Post Office consistently denied there were issues with the IT system at the time, which ended up being faulty and led to many prosecutions of branch managers. Over 700 were affected, with some being imprisoned and others financially ruined. Concerns have been raised regarding Vennells’ role in the scandal, which has been described as one of the largest cases of miscarriages of justice in British history.
The controversy surrounding Vennells’ role in the scandal has recently intensified following the broadcast of an ITV drama. She stepped down from her role as associate minister in the St Albans diocese earlier this year due to the increased controversy surrounding her Post Office career.
Vennells was ordained as an Anglican priest in 2005 and had previously worked for Whitbread, a hospitality business, and L’Oréal, a beauty brand. She began her role at the Post Office in 2007, before being appointed group network director and later managing director in 2010. In 2012, she was promoted to chief executive, a role which she held until February 2019.
Sarah Mullally was appointed as the first female Bishop of London in December 2017. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Church of England said they never comment on who is a candidate or not in their confidential discernment process.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More