Post Office scandal: I was victim of smear campaign, Henry Staunton tells MPs
The sacked Post Office chairman has claimed he is the victim of a “smear campaign” over Horizon, as a feud at the top of the organisation was laid bare in front of MPs on Tuesday.
Henry Staunton, the former chairman, said he had been accused of lying after claiming that the Post Office had been told to stall compensation payments to sub-postmasters.
He also exposed details of the ongoing tensions between him and Nick Read, the Post Office chief executive. He told MPs that Mr Read was under investigation by the Post Office after he “fell out” with a HR director.
Mr Staunton, a City veteran, also claimed that Mr Read was “unhappy with his salary” and considered resigning on several occasions.
The row between the pair had first emerged when Mr Staunton gave an interview in which he claimed the Post Office had been told to stall compensation payments to postmasters.
The new “bombshell” claims were made in front of the Business and Trade Select Committee, at a hearing attended by several sub-postmasters and mistresses.
MPs heard evidence of how affected postmasters were waiting for months for offers on compensation payments and lawyers raised concerns that many may have “under-settled”.
Alan Bates: Post Office a dead duck
Alan Bates, whose story was televised in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, told MPs he was not reassured by what he had heard from the session.
The former postmaster, who rejected his first offer which was “around a sixth” what he had requested, told MPs: “It’s very disappointing and this has been going on for years, as you well know, and I can’t see any end to it.”
He described the Post Office as a “dead duck” and suggested the business would be best off being sold “to someone like Amazon for £1”.
Early on in his evidence session, Mr Staunton, a former WHSmith chairman, was granted permission to read a statement he had prepared.
Referring to his public row with Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, he said: “I still think that more could be done at least to make compensation more generous and the process of getting justice less bureaucratic.
“But I will at least have achieved something if the sunlight of disinfectant, which the Secretary of State so approves of, means that Government now lives up to its promises.”
He added: “I’ve spoken up on matters of genuine, public concern, have been fired and now am subject to a smear campaign.”
Report: Read wanted to resign over pay
During his evidence session, Mr Staunton claimed an 80-page report on Mr Read, prepared by the HR director he had fallen out with, also stated that the chief executive was going to resign over his pay.
This claim came less than an hour after Mr Read denied under oath ever having “tried to resign”.
Mr Staunton also said the document contained “one paragraph” with allegations about himself, which claim he made “politically incorrect comments”.
The Telegraph understands that one of these remarks relates to a claim that Mr Staunton called a female member of staff a “girl”.
However, he told MPs that he “strenuously denies” making any of the comments alleged.
Mr Staunton’s comments came less than two weeks after he told the Sunday Times he had been told to delay compensation payments ahead of the general election.
He denies any knowledge of bullying allegations, maintains his claims made in the Sunday Times and he says he acted “scrupulously” in the appointment of a new director to the board.
Ms Badenoch went on to brand his account as “full of lies”.
In the evidence session, Mr Read said he did not believe anyone at the company was told by the Government to slow down the payments of compensation to subpostmasters.
“I don’t believe that to be the case and I can categorically say that nobody in my team or myself has received any instruction from the Government about slowing down compensation,” he said.
Mr Staunton claimed: “The 80-page report alleges, from the HR director, not my words, that Nick was going to resign because he was unhappy with this pay.”
As the session drew to a close, the former Post Office chairman was asked for his opinion on Mr Read’s performance.
“I think he was doing fine,” Mr Staunton said. “Huge, huge pressures on him.”
He added: “I must have had four conversations when he said he was going to chuck it in.”
Mr Staunton said Mr Read had told him he was considering resigning because of pressure on him and his family after the report was drawn up.
It is understood that on one such occasion towards the end of last year, Mr Staunton took Mr Read and his wife out for an upmarket meal in an effort to convince him not to resign.
Mr Staunton then went on to claim he had approached Grant Shapps, who was the previous Business Secretary before Ms Badenoch, to ask for a pay increase for Mr Read.
“I said to him: ‘Nick is unhappy with the salary.’ He said: ‘Don’t waste a postage stamp coming to talk to me about it.’”
‘Bombshell revelations’
The Post Office’s latest annual report for 2021/2 shows Mr Read received a total remuneration package of £870,000 that year.
Concluding Mr Staunton’s evidence and the end of the evidence session, committee chairman Liam Byrne said the former Post Office chairman had shared “bombshell revelations”.
Mr Byrne said his testimony illustrated the Post Office boardroom in “disarray” with a chief executive who is under investigation and sought to resign “even though he has just told us on oath that he has not”.
On Monday, Post Office staff were sent an email from Ben Tidswell, the organisation’s Senior Independent Director on the Post Office Board, confirming that Mr Read had been under investigation but had “cooperated fully with the investigation.”
He also said that Mr Read has never tendered his resignation.
Mr Tidswell ended the note by asking staff to “remain focussed on supporting the government to bring about faster justice and redress to victims” despite the “distractions”.
Sunak ‘has confidence in Read’
Downing Street on Monday said Rishi Sunak had confidence in Mr Read.
A Business and Trade Department source told The Telegraph: “The department was aware that Nick Read was also under investigation, although we have not seen the 80-page report referred to by Henry Staunton and cannot attest to the content.
“The Secretary of State was clear in her statement to the House of Commons on 19 Feb that she lost confidence in Mr Staunton because he was blocking an investigation into his conduct, as well as his attempt to bypass the formal process to appoint a new director to the board. It was these issues, as well as overall concerns about his grip on the post office - demonstrated by his discredited newspaper interview and the manner in which his story has changed in the following days - that led to his sacking.
“The department will await the outcome of the investigation into Mr Read before making any further judgement.”
The Telegraph has approached the Post Office for a comment.
On Monday the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry released further details on the timetables for the next two phases of the inquiry, which are set to begin in April.
They show Paula Vennells, the ex-chief executive who was formally stripped of her CBE last week, will give evidence across three days in May.
04:58 PM GMT
That’s all for today
Thank you for following our live coverage of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal hearing.
Check the website for the latest updates.
04:57 PM GMT
Recap: Explosive revelations at Post Office hearing
After Henry Staunton made a series of bombshell revelations to MPs on the Business and Trade Committee, let’s recap some of the main developments from more than five hours of evidence on Tuesday:
I was victim of smear campaign, Henry Staunton tells MP
Mr Staunton claimed he had become subject of a smear campaign after speaking out on matters of genuine public concern
Post Office chief executive threatened to resign over pay, ex-Post Office chairman claims
Mr Staunton has said that chief executive Nick Read told him on several occasions that he wanted to resign and was unhappy with his salary.
Post Office stalling on compensation payouts “wouldn’t surprise” Alan Bates
When asked to give his view on Henry Staunton’s claims that the Post Office was told to slow payouts, Mr Bates said: “It wouldn’t surprise me, I don’t know one way or the other but it does seem to be the way things are going.”
No instructions to slow down payments, Post Office chief insists
Mr Read said he can “categorically” say that neither he nor anybody in his team received instructions or directions to stall compensation payments.
Full and fair redress could take up to two years, claim lawyers
A lawyer who represents a large number of sub-postmasters said it was taking “weeks and weeks” for the Post Office to disclose vital documents necessary for claims to be processed.
04:26 PM GMT
Alleged investigation into Mr Read
Henry Staunton, the former Post Office chairman, has claimed that Nick Read, the Post Office chief executive, is allegedly also facing an investigation as outlined in an 80-page dossier.
Mr Staunton is reportedly under investigation for “one paragraph” in the document that relates to “politically incorrect comments” made, but he “strenuously denies” this allegation.
Asked by Jonathan Gullis, a Conservative MP, if it was “his understanding that Mr Read is also under investigation”, Mr Staunton said: “This investigation is primarily into Nick Read and the 80-page dossier.”
To this, Mr Gullis said: “That’s blown my... I was not expecting that answer.”
Mr Staunton then queried whether this information had been “made plain” to Mr Gullis previously, to which the Tory MP answered it was the “first thing I’ve heard of Mr Read’s alleged investigation”.
Mr Gullis then deferred to Liam Byrne, committee chairman, saying “he’s been here longer than me” and could ensure he did not “cross the line”.
To this, Mr Byrne answered: “That doesn’t mean I’m less shocked.”
03:20 PM GMT
Mr Staunton’s revelations branded ‘bombshell’ as evidence concludes
Concluding Mr Staunton’s evidence and the end of the evidence session, committee chairman Liam Byrne said the former Post Office chairman had shared “bombshell revelations”.
Mr Byrne said his testimony illustrated the Post Office boardroom in “disarray” with a chief executive who is under investigation and sought to resign “even though he has just old us on oath that he has not”.
Adds MPs will reflect on his evidence before reporting back.
03:15 PM GMT
Henry Staunton: Nick Read repeatedly complained about his salary
Former Post Office chairman Henry Staunton has said that chief executive Nick Read told him on several occasions that he wanted to resign and was unhappy with his salary.
“I think he was doing fine. Huge, huge pressures on him. I must have had four conversations when he said he was going to chuck it in,” Mr Staunton told MPs on the Business and Trade Committee.
“And my job was just to be someone that would understand the pressures that he was on, because I think it would be very difficult to find a replacement at this stage with the business in the state that it’s in.
“If I didn’t think he was doing satisfactorily, I’d have asked to change things.”
He added: “I got a strong message from Mr (Grant) Shapps when he was Secretary of State: Don’t even think of coming for any salary increase. I got a strong message from minister (Kevin) Hollinrake.
“I said to him Nick is unhappy with the salary. He said: “Don’t waste a postage stamp coming to talk to me about it.”
02:57 PM GMT
Henry Staunton: I’m not an erratic individual
Mr Staunton tells MPs he is “not an erratic individual” but admits his job “did very get difficult” in the closing stages of his chairmanship.
“If I had been when it comes to business, I wouldn’t have been the chairman, or deputy chairman or main board director of the companies I have,” he said.
02:43 PM GMT
Nick Read threatened to resign over HR investigation, Henry Staunton claims
Nick Read threatened to resign over an HR investigation into himself, Mr Staunton has told MPs.
It comes just an hour after Mr Read denied threatening to resign under oath.
Asked about the investigation launched against Mr Staunton in November, the former chairman claimed it related to “one paragraph” in an 80-page document,
“Mr Read fell out with his HR director,” Mr Stainton told the Committee. “And she produced a document that was 80 pages in length.”
Mr Staunton said that in that document there was one paragraph about “politically incorrect comments” he made.
Mr Staunton told the committee Nick Read was “really quite upset” about the document and he told Mr Staunton he was “going to resign”, adding it wasn’t “not the first time”.
He later added Mr Read threatened to resign because he was unhappy over his pay.
02:40 PM GMT
Henry Staunton’s statement in full
Henry Staunton read out this prepared statement at the Business and Trade Committee:
What happened to these poor postmasters and their families is a tragedy and a scandal.
They have been failed time and time again by a whole host of British institutions who were supposed to be there to protect the citizen and ensure fair play.
We all know that there was inaction all round by the judicial system, the Government, Whitehall and particularly inside the Post Office until the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office and there was a rocket then put under things.
The Secretary of State, senior civil servants and Post Office officials are asking us to believe that everything was going swimmingly all along when it damn well wasn’t.
We all know, we all know that things were moving far too slowly and you have heard from three postmasters today who said it even more eloquently than I could, and the reason why people have latched onto what I said in the Sunday Times was that finally someone was being honest about how deep seated the problems were and why nothing was being done.
I still think that more could be done at least to make compensation more generous and the process of getting justice less bureaucratic. But I will at least have achieved something if the sunlight of disinfectant, which the Secretary of State so approves of, means that Government now lives up to its promises.
What the public wants to know is why was everything so slow - we’ve talked about the four per cent - and why does everything remain so slow? I’ve spoken up on matters of genuine, public concern, have been fired and now am subject to a smear campaign.
02:34 PM GMT
Henry Staunton: I was subject of smear campaign
Former Post Office chairman Henry Staunton has said that he is a victim of a “smear campaign” after a fallout with Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch.
“We all know that things were moving far too slowly ... and the reason why people have latched onto what I said in the Sunday Times was that finally someone was being honest about how deep seated the problems were and why nothing was being done,” he told MPs on the Business and Trade Committee.
“I still think that more could be done, at least to make compensation more generous, and the process of getting justice less bureaucratic.
“But I will at least have achieved something if the sunlight of disinfectant, which the Secretary of State so approves of, means that Government now lives up to its promises.
“What the public wants to know is why was everything so slow? ... And why does everything remain so slow? I’ve spoken up on matters of genuine public concern, have been fired, and am now subject to a smear campaign.”
02:20 PM GMT
Henry Staunton: I was accused of being a liar until I found note
Henry Staunton has denied he is a liar as MPs questioned him over claims he was asked to slow down compensation payments.
Addressing the blistering attack Kemi Badenoch launched on him last week, Mr Staunton said: “I was accused of being a liar, until thankfully I found this file note just just a few days ago.
“Since then, I think the focus changed. Now everyone says, ‘What foes this mean?’”
When asked if he had changed his story, Mr Staunton said: “I think of course at the time, she said that they were lies because at that time I couldn’t find the file note.
“She said that was the lie, but that couldn’t be said since then. Today what she was saying about me has changed because I found the file notes.”
Mr Staunton confirmed to MPs he came away from a meeting with civil servant Sarah Munby fairly clear” that he had been asked to minimise costs “including compensation”.
02:15 PM GMT
Who is Henry Staunton?
Mr Staunton stepped down from the Post Office amid ongoing tensions last month.
The former WH Smith executive has since been involved in a deepening row with Ms Badenoch after he claimed he had been told to delay payouts to the subpostmasters affected.
Ms Badenoch tolds MPs he had spread “made-up anecdotes” following his dismissal.
However, ministers are under pressure over allegations a senior civil servant told Mr Staunton not to focus on “long-term issues” and to protect his organisation’s finances.
Mr Staunton is said to have been told during a meeting with Sarah Munby, who was then permanent secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), to “hobble” into the next general election, according to notes reported by The Times newspaper.
02:04 PM GMT
Henry Staunton now giving evidence
Nick Read and Post Office executives Ben Tidswell, Simon Recaldin and Simon Oldnall have finished giving evidence to the Business and Trade Committee.
Henry Staunton has been sworn in and will start to take questions from MPs.
02:02 PM GMT
Post Office chief asked ‘have you tried to resign?’
Nick Read appears thrown off balance by his last question on whether he had ever tried to resign.
“No,” he paused before saying, “Why do you say that?”
The Post Office chief executive was then asked if he was planning to stay in post until all sub-postmasters were compensated.
“I want to make sure that we get justice for the postmasters and that is what I will say,” he said.
01:55 PM GMT
Post Office chief challenged over PR advisers
Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis has questioned Nick Read over the use of PR advisers following a report in the Telegraph that the Post Office chief has been accused of misleading MPs.
The Telegraph reported how the Post Office has been paying strategic communications firm TB Cardew £15,000 a month to support the group after Mr Read previously denied specialists were hired to handle the fallout from the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Mr Read said TB Cardew started working for the Post Office in 2019 before the firm’s contract was renewed in 2022.
Asked by Mr Gullis whether he had received any training ahead of his appearance before the select committee, Mr Read said he had prepared for it.
Read: Post Office boss accused of misleading MPs over £15k-a-month PR advice here
01:48 PM GMT
Telegraph readers view
Read a selection of reader comments on the parliamentary committee on the Post Office.
01:40 PM GMT
Post Office executive: I’m very touchable
Giggles sound in committee room 8 at the Palace of Westminster as Post Office executives respond to a question by Labour MP Ian Lavery as to whether they are “untouchable”.
Ben Tidswell is the first to answer as he assures Mr Lavery “I’m absolutely not”, pointing out Mr Staunton as an example of those who do not comply with their duties.
Simon Oldnall said he echoed Mr Tidswell point and would expect to be held accountable before Simon Recaldin interjects: “I am challenged regularly and I am very touchable.”
Nick Read then adds: “So am I.”
01:32 PM GMT
Nick Read: Our investigators are not ‘untouchable’
Nick Read has denied claims that 40 former investigators are described as “untouchable” in the organisation.
He said: “This notion of untouchables is not an expression used in our organisation.”
Mr Read said “five individuals” who were previously investigators or had “investigations” in their job title were still working for the Post Office.
“None of those individuals are involved in investigations today.”
01:26 PM GMT
Post Office executive: Board members ready to resign if Henry Staunton didn’t
Ben Tidswell, the chairman of the Post Office’s remediation committee, has told MPs he did call Carl Creswell at the Department for Business with concerns about former chairman Henry Staunton.
Asked by Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis to clarify the nature of his phone call with Mr Creswell, Mr Tidswell said it was accurate that several board members had considered resigning if Mr Staunton remained in post.
Mr Tidswell said the primary concern was Mr Staunton was obstructing an investigation into himself.
01:06 PM GMT
ITV drama led to another 1,000 compensation claims
The Post Office revealed that it has had another 1,000 claims for compensation since ITV’s series on the Horizon scandal.
“The closure was potentially looming until the excellent ITV series when we’ve had over 1,000 new claims in, which I think is fantastic by the way, because my job is to pay out fair compensation,” Simon Recaldin, remediation matters director at the Post Office, told MPs on the Business and Trade Committee.
He said this now makes it more difficult to figure out when the compensation programme will be completed.
“For you to now ask me to put a timescale on that is going to be challenging because I’d already dealt with 2,500 claims and I’d made the offers for 2,500 claims, and we were going through the process of resolving any disputes in that,” he said.
“Therefore, I had a trajectory for those towards the end of this year and March next year to close all those down. Now, with another 1,000 cases in there, I have to reassess that plan in terms of how I deliver those.”
01:02 PM GMT
Nick Read: Postmasters may have accepted payments lower than they were entitled to
Mr Read has said it “must be possible” that some postmasters have accepted lower payments than they were entitled to in order to bring an end to the situation.
“It must be possible,” the chief executive answered when asked if this was the case, adding: “I have met with many of the victims.”
01:00 PM GMT
Nick Read: I’ve received no written instructions to speed up payments
Nick Read has told MPs he has had no “written instructions” to speed up compensation payments to sub-postmasters.
During questioning by Liam Byrne who asked whether there was any record in writing of accelerating the redress schemes, Mr Read said: “I think it’s an absolute given, that is what we are trying to do.”
After admitting there was no written instructions, Mr Read also confirmed there were no financial incentives for executives to quicken settlements.
12:50 PM GMT
Nick Read: No instructions to slow down payments
Post Office chief executive Nick Read said he can “categorically” say that neither he nor anybody in his team received instructions or directions to stall compensation payments.
“I don’t believe that to be the case and I can categorically say that nobody in my team or myself has received that instruction.”
When asked if Mr Staunton was lying, Mr Read said: “I don’t believe it’s [the claims] true, I believe that he’s misunderstood or misinterpreted the conversation he had with Ms Munby.”
12:44 PM GMT
Nick Read appears before MPs
Lawyers James Hartley and Dr Neil Hudgell have now finished answering questions.
The next to appear before the Business and Trade Committee are the following:
Nick Read - chief executive of the Post Office
Ben Tidswell - chairman of the Post Office’s Remediation Committee
Simon Recaldin - the Remediation Matters Director at the Post Office
Simon Oldnall - the Horizon and Group Litigation Order IT Order at the Post Office
12:37 PM GMT
Postmasters’ lawyers: Full redress could take two years
Lawyers representing the sub-postmasters have told MPs it could take up to two years before they receive full and final redress.
Asked by committee chairman Liam Byrne when he expected settlements to be reached based “on current pace”, James Hartley said “between one and two years”.
He said the figure was based on the current speed of the compensation process which he described as “unacceptably long” for his clients.
Dr Neil Hudgell said he didn’t disagree with the estimate when it was put to him by Mr Byrne.
12:18 PM GMT
James Hartley: Post Office taking too long over disclosures
A lawyer who represents a large number of sub-postmasters said it was taking “weeks and weeks” for the Post Office to disclose vital documents necessary for claims to be processed.
James Hartley said: “By my estimate I think it will take - based on the process so far - six months or more for the Post Office to disclose records to enable us to put claims though.”
Mr Hartley said it would be “beneficial” if claimants didn’t have to contact the Post Office at all, “because they’ve had enough”, he added.
12:16 PM GMT
In pictures: Alan Bates gives evidence
12:02 PM GMT
Alan Bates finishes giving evidence
Alan Bates has now finished giving evidence.
The hearing adjourned for a short break and has now returned with two lawyers representing the claimants.
They are:
Dr Neil Hudgell - Executive Chairman of Hudgell Solicitors. He represents dozens of sun-postmasters.
James Hartley - a partner and national head of dispute resolution at Freeths. The law firm was appointed by the Government to oversee the compensation scheme.
11:56 AM GMT
Alan Bates: Go slow instructions wouldn’t surprise me
Alan Bates has told MPs it wouldn’t surprise him if instructions were given to stall compensation payments to sub-postmasters and postmistresses.
When asked to give his view on Henry Staunton’s claims that the Post Office was told to slow payouts, Mr Bates said: “It wouldn’t surprise me, I don’t know one way or the other but it does seem to be the way things are going.”
Addressing the Business and Trade Committee, Mr Bates said the “culture” at the Post Office hadn’t changed and wouldn’t change.
“My personal view about Post Office is it’s a dead duck and it has been for years, and it’s going to be a moneypit for the taxpayer in the years to come.
“You should sell it to someone like Amazon for £1, get really good contracts for all the serving subpostmasters and within a few years you’ll have one of the best networks around Britain.”
11:48 AM GMT
Alan Bates: Just get on and pay people
Mr Bates was also asked about whether he believed it was a mistake that Government statements about forthcoming legislation did not propose any measures for those who joined him in the first case against the Post Office, which was settled in December 2019.
He told MPs: “I don’t know what you can do other than remove the whole scheme from Government itself ... and try and do it elsewhere.
“We keep coming back to this time after time after time - pay people. There’s a lot of distractions, a lot of other things brought up, thrown up all the time - but just get on and pay people.”
11:25 AM GMT
Alan Bates: I can’t see any end to it
Alan Bates, the sub-postmaster who has spearheaded the campaign for justice, is now appearing before MPs and has told them he cannot see an “end” to the Post Office scandal.
He is asked by committee chairman Liam Byrne whether he had seen improvements in the process of paying out former sub-postmasters caught up in the Horizon faulty software.
“As far as I know my claim is still sat there,” he says.
Asked whether he had heard anything reassuring during this morning’s session, Mr Bates told MPs: “No, I’m afraid not. It’s very disappointing and this has been going on for years, as you well know, and I can’t see any end to it.”
10:57 AM GMT
Post Office compensation costs could exceed £1 billion
Compensation payouts to victims of the Post Office scandal will likely exceed £1 billion, Mr Creswell has told MPs.
He said the figure was “the expectation” but added it was dependant on the number of convictions overturned.
“I personally think we will end up spending more money on compensation overall than that £1bn figure that was modelled at an earlier stage,” said Mr Creswell.
10:49 AM GMT
Director challenged over failure to send timely offers
Mr Creswell has been asked about the GLO scheme’s failure to send offers within 40 days to 90 per cent of applicants.
He told the Committee that close to 85 per cent of claimants were now receiving an offer, an improvement from the 70 per cent figure previously.
“We are closer to the targets now,” Mr Creswell said.
“And I think that early on, we were getting some processes up and running, and some of the cases had some legitimate reasons for why they took so long.”
10:48 AM GMT
Post Office bonuses could be tied to helping postmasters
Mr Creswell has been asked by Conservative MP Antony Higginbotham whether bonuses paid to Post Office executives could be tied to helping settle outstanding claims with postmasters.
Mr Creswell said he believes it would be a “misjudgment” to entirely focus on helping postmasters yet to receive their claims but said he believed a “mix of different objectives” which include helping those to get payments could be an indicator going forward.
He added he “absolutely” thinks it is “right” for the Post Office to pay bonuses to their executives - but not for their performances in the public inquiry.
10:32 AM GMT
Director issues denial over stalling compensation payments
When asked whether he had ever been asked to stall or slow down compensation payments, Mr Creswell issued a strong denial, Fiona Parker reports.
“I would have thought somebody would have mentioned that to me,” he said.
He described how he had worked with ministers, civil servants and several other people and never been given such an instruction.
“That is completely incorrect that assertion,” Mr Creswell said, referring to Mr Staunton’s claims made to the Sunday Times.
10:24 AM GMT
More than 100 postmasters have made GLO claims
Mr Creswell says that out of the 478 postmasters in the GLO scheme, 106 have submitted full claims, while 41 partial ones - claims considered to contain insufficient information - have been submitted.
He adds 104 offers have been made with 80 of those accepted and 78 have been paid.
Asked how many had taken the up front offer of £75,000, Mr Creswell says more than 70 have accepted it.
10:18 AM GMT
Carl Creswell: Every claim I sign off is fair
Carl Creswell, a director at the Business Department, has told MPs it can take him as little as an “hour” to review some offers before signing them off and said it was “accurate to say” that he and his team have only challenged about 10 per cent of the claims, Fiona Parker reports.
Chairman Liam Byrne asks whether he believes that “every claim he signs off is fair”.
Mr Creswell: “Yes based on the legal principles the scheme is based on.
“I think individual postmasters have different expectations about what is fair for them.”
10:14 AM GMT
What is the GLO scheme?
The first four participants will be discussing the Group Litigation Order scheme, otherwise known as the GLO scheme.
Let’s recap how it was set up.
Former sub-postmaster Alan Bates led 555 of affected colleagues to a landmark High Court victory in 2019.
The cohort ultimately secured £42.5 million from the organisation, but with much of the final sum set aside to cover legal costs, each claimant only received around £20,000 each.
In response, the government set up the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme - to ensure sub-postmasters would receive extra money to reflect the gravity of their cases.
As of January, people eligible for this scheme will receive at least £75,000 in compensation upfront.
However, the government - which is funding the scheme - estimates two thirds of claimants will turn down this sum and ask for more.
In total, £27 million has been paid out through this scheme.
10:07 AM GMT
Who is addressing MPs?
The first witnesses have begun taking questions from MPs on the Business and Trade Committee.
They are:
Carl Creswell - the Director of Business Resilience at the Department for Business and Trade.
Mark Chesher - a partner at law firm Addleshaw Goddard. The firm has been acting on behalf of the Government while it has been dealing with Horizon victim compensation claims.
Rob Francis - a partner at the law firm Dentons Solicitors. It has also been acting for the government during the claims process.
Sir Ross Cranston - an Independent Reviewer for the Post Office Group Litigation Order scheme.
10:04 AM GMT
Former sub-postmistress: ‘When are you going to put things right’
Just before we get started, a former sub-postmistress told the BBC today she would like to hear MPs asking, “When are you going to put things right?” at the Business and Trade Committee.
Sarah Burgess-Boyde, from Newcastle, lost her life savings after she paid a shortfall she wrongly owed to the Post Office.
“I would like full financial redress. I just want to be put back into a position where I would be now if they hadn’t done what they did. I think they call it ‘but-for’.
“I just want to be put back in a position where I’m not penniless and that I can just retire with a little bit of dignity, that’s all.”
She told the Today programme she would like to hear MPs asking: “When are you going to put things right? When are you going to do the right thing?”
09:50 AM GMT
Kemi Badenoch: Henry Staunton ‘changed his story’
Before the Business and Trade Committee gets underway, let’s recap the latest on the row involving Henry Staunton and Kemi Badenoch with a report written by The Sunday Telegraph’s political editor Edward Malnick.
Kemi Badenoch has accused the former Post Office chairman of having “changed his story” about his sacking over the handling of the Horizon scandal.
In a letter to the Commons business and trade committee, seen by this newspaper, the Business Secretary said “it should be noted” that the executive appeared to have dropped a claim that she told him: “Well, someone’s got to take the rap for this.”
Henry Staunton is due to appear before the committee on Tuesday in the latest escalation of a bitter row over his sacking and time as Post Office chairman.
Mrs Badenoch also questioned why he “never” raised concerns with her about the “toxic” culture at the body, that he described in a newspaper interview last weekend.
Read more here: Former Post Office boss has changed his story, Badenoch suggests
09:37 AM GMT
In pictures: Witnesses arrive to Post Office hearing
Witnesses appearing before the Business and Trade Committee have started to arrive at the Palace of Westminster ahead of a three-hour parliamentary hearing.
09:22 AM GMT
Full list of witnesses to appear
10am
GLO Scheme
Carl Creswell, Director of Business Resilience, Department of Business and Trade
Mark Chesher, Partner, Addleshaw Goodard
Rob Francis, Partner, Dentons Solicitors
Sir Ross Cranston, Independent Reviewer, GLO Scheme
11am
Former postmasters
Alan Bates
Tony Downey
Tim Bretnell
11.30am
Claimants’ lawyers
Dr Neil Hudgell, executive Chairman, Hudgell Solicitors
James Hartley, Freeths
12pm
Post Office
Nick Read, CEO
Ben Tidswell, Chair of the Remediation Committee
Simon Recaldin, Remediation Matters Director
Simon Oldnall, Horizon and GLO IT Director
1pm
Henry Staunton, former Chair, Post Office
09:19 AM GMT
Who is Henry Staunton?
Mr Staunton stepped down from the Post Office amid ongoing tensions last month.
The former WH Smith executive has since been involved in a deepening row with Ms Badenoch after he claimed he had been told to delay payouts to the subpostmasters affected.
Ms Badenoch tolds MPs he had spread “made-up anecdotes” following his dismissal.
However, ministers are under pressure over allegations a senior civil servant told Mr Staunton not to focus on “long-term issues” and to protect his organisation’s finances.
Mr Staunton is said to have been told during a meeting with Sarah Munby, who was then permanent secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), to “hobble” into the next general election, according to notes reported by The Times newspaper.
Mr Staunton is scheduled to appear before the committee at 1pm.
09:18 AM GMT
Good morning
The Telegraph will provide live updates from the Business and Trade Committee hearing this morning as ex-Post Office chairman Henry Staunton faces questions from MPs amid a row with Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch over delays to compensation payouts.
The parliamentary select committee will also hear from the current Post Office chief executive, Nick Read, and sub-postmasters including Alan Bates who spearheaded the campaign for justice.
Witnesses will update MPs about progress on redress to victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal.
We will provide a live stream of proceedings and bring you the latest updates in our blog.
