Poll shows the nation believes Post Office hero Alan Bates should get knighthood

19 January 2024 , 17:30

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The Mirror is campaigning for Alan Bates to become Sir Alan (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)

A poll has found the nation backs our call for Post Office hero Alan Bates to be awarded with a knighthood.

We believe the campaigning ex-postmaster should be recognised for leading the decades-long fight for justice.

Now polling shows the public are behind our fight with 60% saying they believe he should be handed a knighthood. Just 8% are against him being given the honour, according to the survey that was conducted for the Mirror by Redfield and Wilton.

The results will pile pressure on Rishi Sunak to act by nominating him for a knighthood, which would mean he would become known as Sir Alan. Usually honours are announced to mark the New Year and the Monarch's birthday, but in special circumstances they can also be awarded at other times.

Sub-postmasters were wrongly blamed after the Horizon IT system mistakenly suggested thousands of pounds were missing from their branches. More than 900 were prosecuted over the shortfalls, leading many to go bankrupt. Some were even jailed with at least four of the accused dying by suicide.

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Sign our petition HERE to give Post Office hero Alan Bates a knighthood

Alan Bates was played by Toby Jones in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office

The poll found that 77% support a Government plan to overturn the wrongful convictions and give the victims compensation. More than three quarters (76%) said that Fujitsu, the Japanese firm that made the Horizon IT system, should contribute to the compensation.

Some 74% believe that former Post Office boss Paula Vennells should be forced to hand back the £2.2million she was paid in bonuses while in charge. Almost two thirds (63%) would support criminal prosecutions being brought against those who pursued sub-postmasters through the courts.

Redfield and Wilton interviewed 1,500 adults in Britain online on January 17 and 18.

More than 132,000 people have now signed our petition on the 38 Degrees website calling for Mr Bates to receive an honour. He has become a national treasure after millions watched his long and painful fight for justice portrayed in the ITV drama, Mr Bates vs the Post Office.

The former sub-postmaster, who was played by Toby Jones, has campaigned tirelessly for 20 years to expose the truth about the Post Office scandal and get justice for those whose lives it destroyed. He and his partner Suzanne Sercombe took over a shop in Llandudno that included a post office counter in 1998, investing £65,000 in the business.

But his contract was terminated in 2003 after the introduction of the Post Office’s new Horizon computer system led to unexplained losses appeared in his accounts. He led a group of more than 500 postmasters in taking the Post Office to the High Court.

Mr Bates had previously turned down an OBE as he believed it would be a “slap in the face” to the victims to accept an honour while ex-Post Office boss Ms Vennells still held her CBE. After she handed back her gong earlier this month, campaigners have said he should be recognised.

Sign our petition HERE to give Post Office hero Alan Bates an honour

John Stevens