PA Media
All eyes were on outgoing Post Office chief executive Nick Read this week as he spent three days facing the investigation into the Horizon IT scandal.
Mr Read replaced former boss Paula Vennels in 2019 and was appointed to “right the wrongs of the past”.
The wrongful prosecutions may have stopped, but he still had questions to answer about how much the organization had actually changed when he testified.
Mr Read had taken time off from his day job to prepare for the investigation.
Unlike her predecessor, Paula Vennells, there were no tears. But there were some key revelations.
Here are five things we learned from his testimony.
I was told not to “dig up” the past
It became clear that, whether by accident or design, Mr Read was not informed of the scale of the challenge he faced at the Post Office.
Between 1999 and 2015, hundreds of subpostmasters were wrongly prosecuted when faulty Horizon accounting software made it appear money was missing from branches.
When Mr Read took over the leadership role in September 2019, the organization had just lost a High Court judgment to a group of unfairly prosecuted subpostmasters and was about to lose another.
However, his job description made no reference to the ongoing legal challenges. The faulty Horizon computer system was not mentioned once.
In fact, the Post Office's top lawyer reportedly told Mr. Read not to “dig into” what happened in the past.
He was even told there was no “huge public relations risk.” He said the organization was partly in denial, partly in paralysis.
Regarding those who came before him, Mr Read told the inquiry that many former Post Office executives “appear not to have been held to account”.
Frustrated with his own salary
Mr Read's leadership has been hampered by controversy over his own pay. His former HR director claimed he was “obsessed” with getting a pay raise.
He admitted that he had been “frustrated at times”, had repeatedly lobbied for more money and had even taken legal and public relations advice from friends.
Mr Read said it never became a distraction, but he apologized for how “poor” it looked, given many victims are still waiting for compensation.
The allegations of bullying, misogyny and pay came from people who left under a cloud, he said.
He even alleged in his written statement that one of those people, former president Henry Staunton, fell asleep during board meetings.
The government uses the Post Office as a “shield”
New figures released this week show £363million has already been paid to former subpostmasters in financial relief, but many are still waiting.
Before Mr Read began to give evidence, the inquiry chairman emotionally revealed that another victim had died last week without ever receiving the money he was owed.
The Post Office boss said he deeply regretted that the process was taking so long. He blamed bureaucracy, not prejudice or economics.
He said it was “astonishing” that it was his organization that was handling some of these projects, given people's lack of trust in the Post Office.
Could the government use the Post Office as a “shield” to avoid decisions on remuneration? “That could be a description, yes,” he admitted.
Getty Images
Staff involved in scandal still at work
For many deputy postmasters, the continued employment of people who investigated them or who were at the Post at the height of the scandal is a bone of contention.
Mr Read revealed three employees were still under investigation in Project Phoenix. This means they have been accused of wrongdoing.
He also admitted that a “handful” of investigators were still part of the organization – although they were now in different roles.
The director-general wanted to assure the investigation that he would not ignore specific allegations and would ask people to step down from their positions if it helped boost the confidence of the deputy postmaster.
However, when shown meeting notes suggesting ministers were happy for the Post Office to be more robust and not worry about employment tribunals, Mr Read was forced to admit they had struggled to “get people out” of the organization.
The contract for subpostmasters is “tough”
“Where did the money go?” This is one of the many questions still left unanswered in this scandal.
Mr Read was repeatedly questioned about the whereabouts of cash provided by sub-postmasters to cover apparent deficits in their branch accounts. The boss has set a new figure on the missing money: £36million.
Mr Read said he was annoyed that this was proving difficult to resolve.
He said he was surprised by survey results suggesting subpostmasters are still facing problems and using their own savings to make up for their losses.
At the same time, attorneys leading the investigation pointed to new subpostmaster contracts that still reference the Post Office's investigative powers, including processes for maintaining evidence under protest. Mr Read admitted it could be “tough”.
Mr Read's testimony may now be over, but he still has several months left in the role. He assured the inquiry he would spend his time working to bring about more change. Deputy postmasters will be watching closely.
