Still unfinished business: BTC asks Government to ‘reflect and revise' Post Office Horizon redress plan

27th March 2025

The Business and Trade Committee yesterday took the unusual step of asking the Government to ‘reflect and revise' its response to its January 1st report on finally achieving long-delayed justice and redress for victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal. It has been described as the greatest miscarriage of justice in UK history.

The Committee's highest priority after being reformed following the election was to run its first inquiry on the "unfinished business" of achieving redress and some measure of justice for sub-postmasters who were accused - and in some cases convicted and imprisoned - for fraud they did not commit.

Over 4,000 claimants of the Horizon scandal are still waiting to settle their claims. The human cost of the unacceptable delay in making these redress payments is considerable and starkly illustrated by the mounting number of former sub-postmasters who are dying before they receive an offer of redress. The Government's response acknowledged this pain is exacerbated by poor administration of specific schemes.

But the Committee has found that Government’s response fell short of what is needed to put this right. It has therefore asked the Government to re-think its response and re-submit its response to the Committee.

The Committee welcomes the substantial increase in redress payments which have now paid out, with over £768 million paid out as of 28 February 2025 - an increase in total redress paid of over 100% compared to only six months ago. But it believes the Government needs to accept more of the key recommendations that would help speed up redress.

The Government rejected essential changes to scheme principles to provide greater benefit of the doubt to claimants who were so wrongly disbelieved for so long, and to remove the ‘fear factor’ that persists even in DBT-administered schemes like the Horizon Conviction Redress Scheme.

The Committee believes it is a ‘mistake’ to not also transfer administration of the Horizon Shortfall Scheme to DBT - something the Post Office itself has advised ministers should do.

Crucially, the Government has also not accepted that Horizon Shortfall Scheme claimants must have upfront legal advice as they commence their claim, alongside other important procedural changes to ensure that experienced case facilitators have the latitude they need to ensure the swift progress of claims through the system. The principle of binding timeframes for redress was also rejected.

Chair comment

Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, Chair of the Committee, said:“The new government has made extremely important progress in accelerating redress payment to the victims of the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history. But too many are still waiting too long, and former sub-postmasters are still dying before they receive justice. That is wrong.

People who were, over years and years, disbelieved, bankrupt, criminalised, sent to prison, had their lives completely upended for wrongs that they did not commit, have experienced something akin to a second trial as they sought to clear their names and receive redress.

“The Government’s response to our recommendations is a start. But we respectfully ask ministers to listen harder to what the Committee has recommended, reflect again on what we proposed and re-submit its response to the Committee.

“We look forward to receiving a clearer signal for all those affected that meaningful justice will be served, and to seeing the plan from Government that will deliver it.”