In response to the outcry over what he described as “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history”, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to overturn the criminal convictions of more than 700 sub-postmasters falsely accused of theft or false accounting between 2000 and 2014. In doing so, he vowed he would deliver “justice and compensation”.
This will involve introducing emergency primary legislation in the form of a new act of parliament. The Labour party has committed to supporting the move “if it meets the test of justice”.
With all major parties in favour, it is possible that unprecedented legislation will be passed in parliament by the end of the year to clear the names of the people caught up in the Post Office scandal. Political action is needed to right this wrong, but we should also be aware that Sunak’s plan challenges British constitutional principles of the separation of power and the rule of law.
