Campaigner claims judicial review may be quickest route to justice
Sir Alan Bates has called on victims of the Horizon IT scandal to take legal action against the Government over ongoing delays in securing financial redress, saying it could be the “quickest way to ensure fairness for all”.
In an email shared with members of the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA), and seen by the PA news agency, Sir Alan – who has spearheaded the campaign for justice for wrongly accused subpostmasters – argued that a judicial review could offer a more efficient resolution than continuing to wait on what he described as flawed compensation schemes.
The Horizon scandal saw more than 900 subpostmasters prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after the faulty accounting software made it appear that money was missing from branch accounts. Despite many convictions being quashed, hundreds of victims are still awaiting proper compensation.
While the Government previously pledged £600,000 payouts to each individual whose conviction has been overturned, Sir Alan expressed frustration that progress remains sluggish. He warned JFSA members that at the current rate, many victims would be left waiting until November 2027 for resolution.
“It’s time for others to step up,” Sir Alan said in the email. “Hopefully you’ll all agree I’ve done my bit.”
His remarks included sharp criticism of the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme, which covers the 555 subpostmasters who took the Post Office to court between 2017 and 2019. He described it as a “mess”, adding that advice offered by legal teams, MPs, and even the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) select committee had been “ignored out of hand”.
Sir Alan said: “There may be other options, but the one which is repeatedly mentioned is a judicial review – not just for the GLO scheme, but for all the compensation schemes, to ensure parity in treatment.”
He added: “Many of you have already settled out of desperation or despair. A new legal action may give you the opportunity to have your claims reassessed – this time by the courts.”
Christopher Head, once the UK’s youngest subpostmaster at 18, publicly backed the idea. He stated he was willing to support legal action as he had already laid out his case transparently in the public domain.
Mr Head echoed Sir Alan’s concern, highlighting the emotional and financial toll the process has taken on victims: “We cannot keep waiting for justice that never seems to arrive. Taking the Government to court might finally break the deadlock.”
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Sir Alan also floated the possibility of a national fundraising campaign to support legal costs should claimants decide to pursue a judicial review.
In response, a Government spokesperson rejected the suggestion that redress efforts were faltering, stating: “We pay tribute to all the postmasters who have suffered due to Horizon over the past 25 years and are working at pace to ensure all receive the redress and justice they deserve.”
“We do not accept this forecast. The facts show that we are making almost 90% of initial GLO offers within 40 working days of receiving completed claims. As of 31 March, 76% of the group had received full and final redress, or 80% of their offer.”
The spokesperson added that the Government had “trebled the number of payments” and was settling claims at a faster rate than ever before, aiming to finalise all outstanding claims by the end of this year.
Despite such assurances, patience among victims is wearing thin. For many, including those who lost businesses, livelihoods, and in some cases, loved ones, swift and fair compensation remains elusive – and legal action could now be their last resort for justice.
