Post Office under fire over claim it ordered go-slow on payments

THE Post Office is under pressure to provide evidence of claims that its former chairman was told to slow down on compensation payments to sub-postmasters.

The Commons business and trade select committee has demanded Henry Staunton produce a copy of a note he said he sent to record his claim.

The Telegraph understands that Mr Staunton no longer has the note as it was on his Post Office email account.

However, he sent it to Nick Read, the chief executive, raising the prospect that the Post Office could be asked to hand the email over.

It was also reported yesterday that David Cameron’s government knew the Post Office dropped a probe that may have helped wrongly-accused sub-postmasters prove there were flaws in the Horizon accounting software.

Ministers were aware that a secret investigation was being carried out in 2016 into why branch managers’ cash accounts had been accessed and changed remotely, according to the BBC.

The probe was suddenly ditched after sub-postmasters launched legal action, the broadcaster reported

It comes amid a mounting row between Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, and the former Post Office chairman she sacked last month.

On Monday, she accused him in the Commons of lying over his claim that he had been told to stall payments until after the election. She also revealed he had been investigated for bullying.

Liam Byrne, chairman of the business committee, said he had already invited Mr Staunton to appear before its members.

“Today we will be sending for the papers that we need to try and get to the truth,” he said.

“Crucially, we’ll be sending for that file note that Mr Stanton says that he made that sets out that go slow order that he says he received from senior civil servants in the department, but which the secretary of state professed no knowledge of yesterday.”

Mr Byrne said that all those with relevant information – including Mr Read – should hand it over.

“It’s essential that the Post Office, the Business Department and UKGI release every single document that reveals whether there was a ‘go slow’ order on payments to sub-postmasters. Bluntly, our committee will order the papers if they’re not produced voluntarily.”

A Post Office spokesman said: “It is not appropriate for us to comment on confidential emails that allegedly may or may not have been sent.”

‘It’s essential the Post Office release documents that reveal if there was a ‘go slow’ order on payments’