Former Sub-Postmaster Alan Bates: Sell ‘Dead Duck’ Post Office To Amazon For £1

Former sub-postmaster and Horizon scandal campaigner Alan Bates ripped the Post Office as a “dead duck” institution in a session before MPs, proposing the government sell it to Amazon for £1.

The Horizon scandal, which has been labelled one of the largest miscarriages of justice in British history, saw hundreds of sub-postmasters convicted of fraud and theft between 1999 and 2015, due to flaws in the Horizon IT system. On Tuesday the Business and Trade Committee were interviewing Post Office executives over the progress being made on compensating the wrongly accused.

Bates, who continues to campaign on behalf of sub-postmasters, explained how he is still awaiting compensation and expressed frustration over the sluggish and seemingly unfair redress process for victims.

“Speaking personally of my claim, I can say no, it isn’t [processed]. As far as I know it’s still sitting there, we’ve refused it and that’s it. That’s where the process is in my case,” Bates told MPs.

He added: “My personal view about the Post Office is it’s a dead duck, and it has been for years, and it’s going to be a money pit for the taxpayer for years to come and you should sell it to someone like Amazon for £1.”

The investigation by MPs found that the £1 billion earmarked by the Treasury now appears insufficient, according to Carl Creswell of the department for business and trade.

The ongoing parliamentary inquiry will continue to delve deeper into the scandal’s financial aftermath and the steps forward, with testimonies from affected sub-postmasters and scrutiny of Post Office leadership, including CEO Nick Read and former chair Henry Staunton.