The post office scandal is shocking and I am glad the nation and the media are going to town on it after the brilliant ITV docudrama.
I have been looking at this for a few years now and I have a lot of love and respect for a local postmistress who got in touch with me after I became Stroud’s MP. As the Minister indicates in his response to my question, the department most certainly know her case from a combination of her and I having a go whenever we can.
Like so many in this awful saga, Nichola is formidable in strength and courage. She has done a lot of media now to tell the story even if it’s painful for her.
There have been many meetings and debates in Parliament about this over the years so it is not right to say that there is a new reaction from government. Yet I can say that none have been so well attended as in the chamber at the beginning of the statement this week. It shows the power of good TV as it took two hours of bobbing up and down to get called by the Speaker.
I am by no means a veteran in this or lay claim to influence - there are some MPs who have fought for years and years both from Labour and the Tories (including the Minister when he was on the back benches).
The government work in the last few years from Ministers Paul Scully and Kevin Hollinrake and the decision to have a proper inquiry was thankfully game changer. I understand the chair of the inquiry has built a lot of trust with the victims and the Prime Minister has been decisive about compensation and justice for the convicted too.
Nichola wants the focus to remain on the victims. She rightly reminded me this week that calling for scalps and removing honours is important and understandable - but it is compensation and allowing the former post masters and mistresses to finally get on with their lives that matters most.
We fight on.
