Closing summary
Former Post Office and Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton gave testimony at the public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal, saying he was “absolutely horrified” at the miscarriage of justice but was kept in the dark.
Leighton, who held roles from 2001 to 2009, also said that the Horizon IT system was described as “fit for purpose” in every board meeting he attended during his nine year stint.
The inquiry also heard from Paula Vennells’ former chief of staff, Martin Edwards, who is still employed at the Post Office.
Evidence at the inquiry revealed that he wrote a “setting the hares” running email for Vennells to use to minimise questions from the board as the prospect of a wave of appeals against unsafe prosecutions by subpostmasters was raised in a key report by forensic accountants Second Sight.
Elsewhere, NatWest has paid £2.4bn to buy rival Metro Bank’s mortgage book, and revealed it spent £24m on the Sir Trevor McDonald-fronted share sale campaign that was axed ahead of the general election.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said drivers are still paying too much for fuel, with increases in retailers’ fuel margins costing consumers £1.6bn last year.
The UK competition regulator also said that it is “unlikely” that supermarkets are iinflating prices to make loyalty card holder deals look misleadingly attractive.
Drax Group, the UK’s largest source of renewable energy, reported a 37% increase in profits in the first six months and announced a two-year, £300m share buyback scheme.
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Paula Vennells' chief of staff drafted "setting the hares running" email to stop board investigating Horizon prosecutions
Paula Vennells’ former chief of staff warned of “setting the hares running” amongst board members as the prospect of a wave of appeals against unsafe prosecutions by subpostmasters, drafting an email position the Post Office chief executive could use to minimise questions about the Horizon IT scandal and legal action.
The public inquiry into how the scandal has heard how Martin Edwards, Vennell’s chief of staff between 2012 and 2014, was one of a handful of trusted lieutenants who regularly worked up briefs for use by top executives defending the Post Office and Horizon IT system as evidence mounted that it was faulty.
Ahead of the official publication of the interim report by Second Sight, in which the forensic accountants raised serious issues about Horizon with findings that could open the door to mass appeals for wrongful prosecutions, Edwards was heavily involved in preparing Vennell’s explanation to the board.
“Obviously the points about the ombudsman and past prosecutions could set the hares running,” Edwards wrote in an email to Vennells and former Post Office general counsel Susan Crichton. “Suggested draft email for the board below.”
Counsel for the public inquiry suggested that Edwards “set the hares running” comment and subsequent draft email was an attempt to ensure that the board did not start investigating the Horizon IT scandal and prosecutions.
“I was absolutely referring to the potential reaction of the board,” said Edwards in his testimony. “I don’t think I am saying there is anything wrong with them asking questions. This was as I understood it going further than Paula had briefed the board previously. “At the time the view of the business wasn’t that previous prosecutions had been unsound. This email reflects the mindset of the business at the time. Clearly there wasn’t enough focus on the safety of those prosecutions and the human impact.”
In his witness statement Edwards repeatedly referred to his role as being simply a “conduit” for his bosses, that he always checked with “subject experts” before briefs or emails he created were used, and that he did not have any did not have any “specific decision-making accountabilities”.
However, a string of examples of emails and brief writing tasks, often with the Post Office head of communications Mark Davies, showed that he frequently took a lead role in formulating briefs.
At one point counsel for the inquiry suggested he might change his witness statement to more accurately say he was “deeply involved” in orchestrating the Post Office position on Horizon.
“What I am not doing is unilaterally altering [a] brief and putting it to Paula,” he said. “I co-ordinated it. I held the pen on it.”
Following the publication of Second Sight’s interim report in July 2013 Edwards took exception to a BBC headline saying that the Horizon IT system caused postmasters to lose money every year.
He emailed the Post Office team suggesting that it be corrected calling the BBC “arseholes”.
“That was a bit of an uncharacteristic email from me,” he said. “There was clearly a strong conviction at the time in the integrity of Horizon. I don’t think at that point in time I would have particularly recognised it as a ‘them versus us’ mindset. It was clearly one of those emails you regret. It was an overreaction.”
Edwards remains employed at the Post Office in the role of network strategy and delivery director where he said he liaises with subpostmasters.
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