Sir Ed Davey apologises for ‘poorly judged’ refusal to meet Post Office campaigner Sir Alan Bates 14 years ago

Sir Ed Davey's Apology

Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has issued an apology for his decision to refuse a meeting with Post Office scandal campaigner Sir Alan Bates 14 years ago, calling it "poorly judged."

Meeting Denial

During his time as postal affairs minister from 2010-12, Sir Ed Davey had initially declined to meet Sir Alan Bates, stating that he did not believe such a meeting would be beneficial.

Revelations at the Inquiry

Sir Ed Davey admitted to the inquiry into the scandal that he was misled about the serious issues with the Horizon IT system and suggested that higher-ups in the company must have been aware of the truth at some point.

Response from Pat McFadden

Former postal affairs minister Pat McFadden expressed regret for not questioning the robustness of the Horizon system further and proposed the establishment of an independent body to investigate such matters in the future.

Impact of Post Office Scandal

Over 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted between 1999-2015 due to faulty software, leading to innocent individuals being convicted.