16 April 2024 , 15:27
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Ed Davey said today he had apologised to hero campaigner Alan Bates as he accused ex-Post Office bosses of lying on an "industrial scale".
It comes after the former sub-postmaster told the Inquiry into the scandal last week he "took offence" to a 2010 response from the Postal Affairs Minister between 2010 and 2012. In a letter Sir Ed has said the Government had an "arms length relationship" with the Post Office after he was invited to discuss Horizon-related issues. But the former sub-postmaster Mr Bates said it "appeared to be a standard template response".
In February the Lib Dem leader, who was repeatedly criticised by Tory MPs earlier this year for being one of the ministers responsible for postal affairs over the 20-year scandal, apologised for the first time. Asked for his response today, Sir Ed told Sky News: "Well, I've apologised to him [Mr Bates] already. What happened was, I was in office for 11 days and was asked whether I would meet him and I was told that the tradition had been that we didn't meet people because the Post Office was run by Post Office executives, and it was an arm's-length relationship.
"Then he wrote back to me, and the officials told me the letter was pretty tough, which it was, which we heard at the Inquiry, and I agreed that I should meet him. So I was actually the first Post Office minister to meet him - he was an amazing guy as everyone now knows - and I put his concerns to Post Office executives."
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said he raised concerns with ex-Post Office executives (Getty Images)Sir Ed said he relayed concerns about remote access to the Horizon IT system to Post Office executives and was told there was "no remote access at all". He added: "Now what's so shocking, and this has come out through the Inquiry, is that they knew all along there was remote access.
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"So they must have lied to me, to previous ministers, to ministers after me - and they lied not just to the subpostmasters who were the victims of this, but to the courts, and the judges and the lawyers. So this was lies on an industrial scale and why I actually support people who say that the people who are responsible for this must be held to account - and if that means them being taken to court and going to prison, so be it."
It came as an ex-Post Office manager denied being the architect of a "horrendous" plan to target the pensions of fraud-accused subpostmasters. The Inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal heard today ex-chief operating officer David Miller attended a 2004 board meeting in which he was assigned the task of ensuring "that the pensions of fraudsters were targeted to help ensure the company was reimbursed".
Mr Miller said he didn't recall the details, but added: "I certainly didn't propose that." Pressed for his view, he added: "Seeing it here, it sounds horrendous. Sorry, it sounds severe in terms of its intention."
He also denied "lying through my teeth" after telling the Inquiry he had not read an damning expert report about the Horizon IT system. Sam Stein KC, who represents a number of subpostmasters, asked him: "Mr Miller, one of two things arise from that, you're either lying through your teeth or you're a complete incompetent - which?" Mr Miller responded: "I'm not lying through my teeth." Pressed on whether it was "incompetence", he replied: "If you wish to say that, yes."