Decades of destitution
The Post Office began persecuting sub- postmasters and postmistresses in 1999. In the following six years hundreds of innocent people were wrongly prosecuted because of the defective Horizon IT system.
They were humiliated, financially ruined and, in many cases, left destitute. Yesterday the Government finally set about righting this wrong by promising to pass a law that exonerates all those wrongly convicted.
While this is welcome, it should not have taken ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office to awaken ministers’ consciences. This is an outrage which should have been addressed more than a decade ago.
There also needs to be clarity about exactly how much compensation victims will receive. Depending on their circumstance, some will receive at least £600,000 while others are being offered an up-front payment of £75,000.
The money must redress not just their previous litigation costs but also the emotional and financial hardship they have endured. Justice will only be delivered if everyone is properly compensated and those responsible for the scandal are held to account.
Passport warning as prices to increase from today if you want to get a new one
HS2 is off rails
Only under this Conservative Government do you end up paying more for less. Rishi Sunak said he was axing the northern legs of HS2 to save money. But the cost of the truncated line to Birmingham keeps rising, with the latest estimate putting it at £66billion.
Bosses also told MPs that, as the line will no longer run to Manchester, they will need to use shorter trains which means fewer seats. The consequence of the Tory mismanagement is a reduced service on a shorter route at an ever-rising cost.
Turkey sizzler
Turkey has pipped the Canary Islands as the most popular destination for people seeking some winter sun. As Britain freezes in a cold snap, you can understand why an overseas holiday has become such a hot ticket.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
