Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Alex Hern

How the Post Office’s Horizon system failed: a technical breakdown

A woman at a post office counter
Horizon was an electronic point-of-sale system that replaced the old paper-based tills that had been used in Post Offices across Britain. Photograph: Nell Freeman (work experience)/The Guardian

The Horizon IT scandal, frequently called the largest miscarriage of justice in British history, is back in the headlines thanks to a prime-time ITV dramatisation. The resulting surge of interest has led to Paula Vennells, who ran the Post Office from 2012 to 2019, agreeing to return her CBE. But there’s also a technical underside to the very human story of power run rampant.

What was Horizon?

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.