Henry Staunton, the former chairman of the Post Office, has been removed from his position due to concerns over the company’s governance and business model, according to the UK’s business secretary, Kemi Badenoch. Badenoch has denied that Staunton’s dismissal was solely due to the Horizon scandal, which has caused public disapproval and led to wrongful convictions of sub-postmasters. Labour officials have called for clarity on the decision for his removal, which occured on Saturday, with Badenoch proposing that the company needed a new chair to oversee the ongoing issues.
Badenoch refused to set a deadline for the compensation of those affected by the scandal, stating that resolving Post Office governance and compensation were the critical goals. The Horizon scandal has resulted in various sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses being prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after a faulty accounting software netted money supposedly missing from their stores.
Staunton, who was recently assigned to the Chairman position in December 2022, has worked with various companies, including WH Smith and ITV boards. His predecessors have been accused of sluggish payouts to affected parties and that bonuses were too readily given to senior members of staff. The former Post Office boss Paula Vennells handed back her CBE in response to the fallout from the scandal.
An inquiry is also being conducted on the Post Office and technology firm Fujitsu, the developer of Horizon, for their parts in the scandal. Staunton’s departure may lead to the implementation of new arrangements in the company’s governance and is seen as a small part of the overhaul required to compensate and restore the company’s reputation.
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