Post Office Horizon scandal: SNP accused of pursuing ‘pointless division’ amid questions over response to scandal

First Minister says ‘mass exoneration’ should be considered but doubts remain over true number of victims in Scotland

Scottish ministers are facing mounting questions over what actions they are considering to help ensure victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal receive adequate compensation and exoneration.

The rapidly growing public backlash to the conviction of hundreds of sub-postmasters around the UK in the wake of a hit ITV dramatisation of their plight has spurred a swift political response, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stating on Monday he would “strongly support” the honours forfeiture committee if it considered revoking the CBE awarded to the former Post Office chief executive, Paula Vennells.

Mr Sunak has also defended the UK Government’s compensation scheme, but said that he wanted to look at how it could “speed up” the process.

While there remain questions over any detailed plan of action that is put forward by the UK Government, the devolved administration in Scotland is also under scrutiny over what steps it is contemplating, given the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) was responsible for prosecuting sub-postmasters. Other Scots who avoided convictions have also told a UK-wide public inquiry how they lost their homes and marriages.

Pressed by The Scotsman on what specific action would be taken north of the border, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are carefully monitoring the Post Office IT Horizon Inquiry and ministers are urgently considering what steps could be taken to clear the names of convicted sub-postmasters.

“We encourage anybody who believes they have suffered a miscarriage of justice in relation to this to contact the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC).”

Speaking at a press event on Monday, First Minister Humza Yousaf said the idea of “almost a kind of mass exoneration” was “one that is very worthy of consideration”. He said: "I've seen a few suggestions made by some people, is there a possibility of a kind of mass exoneration. I think that should be considered in all seriousness.”

Between 1999 and 2015, more than 700 Post Office sub-postmasters received criminal convictions, and some were sent to prison, when a faulty computer system called Horizon made it appear that money was missing from their branches. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty

Asked about the CBE given to Ms Vennells, an issue that has sparked more than 1.1 million to add their name to a petition calling for the honour to be rescinded, Mr Yousaf said there were “serious question marks around the continuation of that honour”.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Yousaf added: “It should not have taken a television drama to get the UK Government to decide to take action. The SNP has been asking for action in relation to Horizon and the injustice done to sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses for many years.”

Other measures being weighed up include exonerating all of those convicted in England and Wales of offences such as theft and false accounting due to the faulty IT system, and stripping the Post Office of its role in the appeal process.

Former Cabinet minister Sir David Davis said authorities should go further, stating there was “no real reason” why those convicted should be able to submit a mass appeal. “All of the cases depend on one single lie, and that is nobody, but the postmasters and mistresses could access their computers,” he said. “We now know that to be untrue. I see no real reason, no logical reason you can't have a mass case, mass appeal on that basis.”

The exact number of people affected in Scotland remains unknown. Four years ago, the SCCRC wrote to 73 potential victims, but it is estimated there could be as many as 100 cases.

As of last month, only 16 people had come forward to ask for their convictions to be reviewed. Some six individuals had been granted permission to appeal their convictions in court to date and, of those, two have been overturned so far.

In the wake of Mr Sunak’s comments about the exoneration of those convicted in the “appalling miscarriage of justice”, the COPFS declined to say whether a similar review was being considered in Scotland. “In order to respect the integrity of the ongoing Scottish cases and the inquiry process it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time,” a spokesman said.

On Monday afternoon, the SNP issued a press release calling on the Westminster Government to “move swiftly” to right the wrongs suffered by sub-postmasters, a scandal which led to numerous bankruptcies, jail sentences, and suicides. It said the party had been “pushing for justice” for sub-postmasters for over a decade, and had passed a motion at its party conference four years ago condemning the actions of the Post Office.

Marion Fellows, the SNP MP for Motherwell and Wishaw, and chair of the all party parliamentary group of postal affairs, said: “This scandal has wrecked lives and damaged livelihoods for decades. The Westminster parties cannot carry on with the approach they’ve taken for years in hoping they can eventually brush this under the carpet.

“We need to see urgency from the UK Government to deliver compensation and full exoneration to all victims of this stunning miscarriage of justice – without affecting current Postmaster remuneration, and a guarantee that those responsible will be held to account.”

However, opposition parties at Holyrood said Scottish ministers had to make clear what, if any, steps they are considering to help those Scottish sub-postmasters impacted.

Russell Findlay, shadow cabinet secretary for justice for the Scottish Conservatives, said: “The Prime Minister and UK Government have been quick to respond to public outrage over this case, and it’s impossible to see why the SNP Government wouldn’t want to do the same – except for their insistence on creating pointless division with the rest of the UK.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur said: “To ensure that potential miscarriages of justice are fully addressed in Scotland, ministers must provide the Crown Office with the support and resources it has long been crying out for.”