Post Office CEO ‘almost quit over pay’

Alan Bates, former subpostmaster and founder of Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, giving evidence to the Business and Trade Select Committee yesterday

The former chairman of the Post Office has claimed the organisation’s current chief executive was going to resign because he was “unhappy with his pay”.

Henry Staunton gave evidence to MPS yesterday where he said former business secretarygrantshappshadtoldhim about Nick Read’s pay: “Don’t even think of coming for any salary increase.”

Mr Staunton said the Post Office boss “fell out” with the business’s HR director and said that his own behaviour was only referenced once in an 80-page document about Mr Read. He told the Business and Trade Committee yesterday that he has been the victim of a “smear campaign” since his public fallout with Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch.

Mr Staunton previously claimed he had been told to delay payouts to sub-postmasters affected by problems with the Horizon computer system.

It opened a row with Ms Badenoch, who accused him of spreading “made-up anecdotes”.

Asked if the Government and No 10 has confidence in Mr Read,adowningstreetspokeswoman said: “Yes.”

Asked if he was informed that his behaviour was under investigation in November last year, Mr Staunton said: “What there is, actually, is Mr Read fell out with his HR director and she produced a ‘speak up’ document which was 80 pages thick. Within that, was one paragraph... about comments I allegedly made. So this is an investigation,notintome,thisis an investigation made into the chief executive Nick Read. This 80-page document was taking a terrible toll on Nick Read. He said: ‘I’m not being supported by the board, this is just bad news for me and my family, I’m going to resign tomorrow, I’ve just had enough.”

Mr Staunton stepped down fromthepostofficeamidongoing tensions last month.

Former subpostmaster and lead campaigner Alan Bates has told MPS that the Government should “get on and pay people”amidcontinuedfall-out from the Horizon IT scandal.

Mr Bates told the Business and Trade Committee that the Post Office should be “sold to someonelikeamazonfor£1”as he described the organisation asa“deadduck”thatis“goingto be a money pit for the taxpayer in the years to come”.

Thecampaignerledagroupof 555 sub-postmasters who took thepostofficetothehighcourt overthescandal,whichwassettledindecember2019.hisstory recently became the subject of an ITV drama titled Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

The Post Office revealed to the committee that it has had another 1,000 claims for financial redress since the series aired last month. The Horizon IT scandal saw more than 700 sub-postmasters prosecuted by the Post Office and handed criminal convictions between 1999 and 2015 as Fujitsu’s faulty Horizonsystemmadeitappear as though money was missing at their branches. Hundreds of subpostmasters are still awaiting compensation despite the Government announcing that those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000 payouts.

This is an investigation, not into me, this is into the chief executive Nick Read Henry Staunton