Sir Alan Bates slams government for delaying Post Office victim compensation payouts

Post Office Horizon scandal's victim campaigner Sir Alan Bates has accused the government of dragging "the whole compensation issue out to exhaust victims until their deaths", calling on the authorities to set a deadline of next March to pay redress to victims.

In a newsletter, seen by Sky News, Sir Bates has criticised the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme for being a "gravy train" for government lawyers.

He adds it is "seemingly to ensure maximum income for the lawyers and minimal settlement for the victims".

He continues, "I have come to the conclusion that the department is run by government-employed flimflam artists, whose only role is to draw out the GLO Scheme, and probably the other schemes, and spin the narrative then bury it in bureaucracy."

Further in the letter, Sir Bates, has stated that Sir the £75,000 offer had worked for those with smaller claims but "the bulk" were for more than that.

"I have been concerned to hear that a small number of people who are getting on in years have settled for far less than their claim's value, just to get it all over with, and that is wrong.

"Which raises the question: Is this part of the Department's [Department for Business and Trade] plan to drag the whole issue out to exhaust victims until their deaths? Regrettably we have lost far too many of the group already."

Sir Alan accused the government of implementing the scheme to "discount, to its maximum extent, the 'full and fair' promise" it gave "at the outset".

The GLO Scheme is one of four compensation schemes aimed at providing financial redress for sub-postmasters and those affected by the Post Office scandal.

It was set up after Sir Alan, leading a group of 555 sub-postmasters, won a landmark court case at the High Court.

Responding to the claims by Sir Bates, a Department for Business and Trade spokesperson told Sky News, "It isn't acceptable that sub-postmasters feel they aren't being listened to or have their claims drawn out. Our ministers will continue to meet with those affected and work with them to get swift and fair redress paid."

"Since July we have taken swift action to launch the new Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme and announced a new appeals process in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme in order to speed up payments further.

"At the end of August, the GLO scheme had made offers to 253 people - over 80 per cent of them have accepted, and more are still considering.

"We are making 90 per cent of initial offers within 40 working days of receiving completed claims and we encourage the 229 people who have not yet sent us complete claims to come forward as soon as possible to claim back what they are owed."