Post Office Horizon IT inquiry concludes for the day
The inquiry has concluded for the day. Wyn Williams, the chair, has said he will participate remotely tomorrow but expects continued good behaviour from the audience. He had to intervene at one point today when there were loud groans of disapproval at one of the non-answers given by Paula Vennells.
The chair confirms that Jane MacLeod, who was general counsel at the Post Office from 2015 to 2019 will not participate in the inquiry. He tells the attending lawyers that he will notify them in writing why before tomorrow.
He also announces that the inquiry will continue sitting, despite the calling of a General Election with two changes – he says it will not sit on the day of the election or on Friday 5 July after the election. Otherwise, he says, he proposes to continue as if it is not happening. Liberal Democrat leader and former minister Ed Davey repsonsible for the Post Office and Royal Mail is currently scheduled to appear on 18 July.
Jason Beer KC informs Vennells that his questions are over. Tomorrow she will be questioned by core participants, that is lawyers and barristers representing various interested parties, including victims of the scandal and other key figures. A timetable was not set at this point. This will most likely be much more aggressive questioning than we have seen for the last two days with Beer.
The inquiry resumes at 9.45am, and we will be live blogging it again. Thank you for reading. Dan Boffey’s report of the day is here:
Updated
Jason Beer KC is now asking about the Post Office’s attempt to apply for the recusal of Mr Justice Fraser during group litigation.
Paula Vennells has become quite emotional and says “on that last point, if I may, because of a family situation, I had to step back from my role as chief executive, sort of from January 2019 onwards. I was involved, sort of in-and-out of the business, as we were going through hospital visits, and then step back much more from March.”
