Post Office victim criticises government on payouts as drama wins award

One of the sub-postmasters who inspired an ITV play astir the Post Office IT ungraded has utilized an grant ceremonial to criticise the authorities implicit the compensation strategy for those falsely accused.

Jo Hamilton was 1 of a radical of existent sub-postmasters who joined the stars of Mr Bates vs the Post Office connected signifier arsenic they picked up 3 prizes astatine the National Television Awards connected Wednesday.

Addressing the assemblage astatine the O2 arena successful London and viewers watching connected ITV, Mrs Hamilton said she was disappointed by a deficiency of advancement with payouts since Labour came to power.

"What I'd similar you to cognize is I went to Westminster a mates of weeks backmost and saw the caller minister," she said. "And spot me, thing has changed."

In effect to her comments, ministers said they were moving "tirelessly" connected the compensation schemes for those affected.

As boos roseate from the personage assemblage - aimed astatine those she was referring to successful powerfulness - she added: "It's true, and astir each of these radical down maine haven't been paid yet."

Mrs Hamilton said much than 300 of the 555 workers who won a landmark civilian lawsuit against the Post Office successful 2019 had inactive not yet received afloat compensation, including run person Sir Alan Bates. She added: "They've offered him 30% of his claim."

Sir Alan rejected the latest connection successful May, saying the concern was "frustrating for myself, frustrating for everyone".

The compensation strategy Mrs Hamilton referred to was launched by the erstwhile Conservative authorities and offers a fixed outgo of £75,000 - though galore victims person turned that down and pushed for more.

As of 30 August, £87m has been paid nether the scheme, including interim payments. On 9 September, Labour announced a caller strategy which has a people of making an connection to 90% of sub-postmasters who person submitted a afloat assertion wrong 40 days.

Mr Bates was not astatine Wednesday's grant ceremony. He joined his spouse Suzanne connected Sir Richard Branson's backstage land successful the Caribbean past month.

Mrs Hamilton told the ceremony: "He has a plan, truthful erstwhile helium comes backmost to the federation for help, delight beryllium determination to enactment him."

Mrs Hamilton precocious met Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas.

A Department of Business and Trade spokesperson said: "We recognise the immeasurable suffering postmasters person endured and that they person waited excessively agelong to person redress.

"That's wherefore we are moving tirelessly crossed authorities to bring them immoderate alleviation with full, just and swift redress."

Toby Jones's portrayal of Sir Alan earned him the National Television Award for champion play performance.

The histrion said afterwards that the occurrence was "a large accidental to renew the unit connected the government".

He said: "We're inactive waiting for the authorities to marque a committedness to wage the compensation earlier the extremity of the year.

"I'm definite 1 of the reasons that the amusement had been truthful fashionable is due to the fact that there's fashionable volition that that should hap sooner alternatively than later."

The ITV play led to a nationalist outcry astir the attraction of hundreds of workers who were wrongly convicted and accused of theft, fraud and mendacious accounting due to the fact that of a faulty Post Office accounting system.

According to authorities figures, 253 compensation offers person been made to the 555-strong group, 207 of which person been accepted.

The authorities spokesperson said much than £289m had truthful acold been paid to much than 2,800 radical crossed 4 compensation schemes that are successful place. Most of those were not convicted oregon portion of the radical tribunal action.

On Monday, the authorities besides announced a caller autarkic appeals process for those who were not convicted but handed implicit their ain wealth to marque up shortfalls caused by the Horizon system.