The chairman of the Post Office, Henry Staunton, has resigned amid ongoing tensions following the Horizon IT scandal, which led to the wrongful conviction of hundreds of sub-postmasters. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch claimed that she and Staunton parted ways by mutual consent. She added that the Post Office was under increased scrutiny and that new leadership was required. However, the Post Office reportedly stated that Staunton was asked to leave.
The government has not provided a reason for his dismissal, but an interim chair is expected to be appointed soon. Staunton had been in the position since December 2022. Previously, he had served on the boards of companies ranging from ITV to WH Smith.
The Post Office has been reeling from the fallout of the Horizon scandal, which has been described as the UK’s biggest miscarriage of justice. Between 1999 and 2015, more than 700 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were prosecuted for missing money in their shops due to wrongly-programmed accounting software. Many of those sub-postmasters were financially ruined as a result.
The issue gained wider public attention after being depicted in an ITV drama, which led to public outrage, causing the former Post Office boss, Paula Vennells, to return her CBE. Currently, senior officials from the Post Office and the technology firm Fujitsu, which developed the Horizon software, are facing questions at a public inquiry about their involvement in the scandal
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