by Embarrassed former Postmaster General Paula Vennells has bowed to pressure to hand back her CBE over her anger over her role in the Horizon IT scandal.
He announced he will lose the honor “with immediate effect” after Rishi Sunak intervened to say he would support having the honor stripped.
His decision will increase pressure on Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader who was Post Office Minister at the time, to restore his knighthood.
More than 700 branch managers have been convicted after a faulty computer program made it appear money was missing from their stores.
The accounting software was designed by Fujitsu, the Japanese technology company, which is facing lawsuits to pay millions in compensation to victims.
It is one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history, and Downing Street is now seeking to issue a blanket exoneration of those found guilty.
In a statement, Vennells broke his long silence on the scandal to address the growing clamor for him to restore his honour.
“I am aware of calls from subpostmasters and others to return my CBE,” he said. “I have heard and confirm that I will be returning my CBE with immediate effect.
“I am very sorry for the devastation caused to the subpostmasters and their families, whose lives were shattered by being unfairly accused and prosecuted as a result of the Horizon system.”
Vennells added that he had previously felt it would be “inappropriate to make public comments” before giving evidence at a public inquiry into the scandal.
His announcement was welcomed by Sunak, with a Downing Street spokesman saying losing the honor was “obviously the right decision”.
“Our goal remains to ensure that all those whose lives were shattered have quicker access to compensation and justice,” he added.
Fury over the scandal has focused on Vennells, who joined the Post Office in 2007 and rose through the ranks to become its chief executive in 2012.
He received his CBE for services to “diversity and inclusion” in the January 2019 honors list, a month before he resigned from his role.
More than 1.2 million people signed a petition calling for him to be removed from office, with senior MPs adding their voice to the demands.
Formally annul the honor
King Charles will now have to formally rescind the honor given to the former postmaster by his mother, the late Elizabeth II.
Mrs Vennells will then have to return her badge to Buckingham Palace and will no longer be able to make any future reference to having a CBE.
Senior Conservatives welcomed his decision and suggested it should prompt Sir Ed to consider returning the knighthood he received in 2016.
Brendan Clarke-Smith, Conservative deputy chairman, said: “While it still does not go far enough in terms of achieving justice for subpostmasters, returning the CBE is the right decision.
“Perhaps this should set a precedent and it is time for other public figures to do the same.”
Richard Tice, leader of Reform UK, added: “Vennells has belatedly done the right thing. “The nation expects Sir Ed Davey to do the right thing.”
The Liberal Democrat leader also faced the wrath of deputy postmasters who said he must be held to account for failing to act on the Horizon scandal.
Yvonne Tracey, a former postmaster and councilor in his Kingston and Surbiton constituency, said: “I find Ed’s denials and deflections disgraceful.
“It’s time for Ed to do the right thing and give him back his knighthood.”
Asked if Sir Ed will return his knighthood, a Liberal Democrat spokesman said: “No, he will not. As Ed has said many times, he wishes he knew then what we all know now.
“It is true that Vennells returned his CBE, he was at the center of a conspiracy of lies against victims, the public and ministers of all parties.”
The Liberal Democrat leader has faced intense criticism since it emerged he turned down a request to meet campaign deputy postmaster Alan Bates in 2010.
Bates, whose fight for justice has been turned into an ITV drama, finally stopped dealing with Sir Ed and accused him of parroting Post Office lines.
‘Trying to avoid responsibility’
Sir Ed later met a group of subpostmasters and says he raised his concerns with the company, but the bosses lied to him and told him they were unfounded.
He told The Guardian: “Time and time again we were assured that the Horizon system was working. We were told that not many postmasters were affected. They told us so many lies.
“It is absolutely necessary to completely exonerate these people; Their convictions must be quashed. Correos lied to the judges and the courts.”
But senior Conservatives accused him of trying to evade responsibility and said he should have been tougher in demanding answers from executives.
Sir Edward Leigh, a Conservative MP and former Post Office Minister, said it was “reprehensible” that the Liberal Democrat leader was “trying to dodge the bullet”.
Sir John Redwood, a former cabinet minister, added: “He could have listened to those who knew things were bad. “His job was to supervise or change direction.”
A Conservative spokesman accused Sir Ed of having “gone into hiding” and said he must “co-operate fully with the public inquiry to help explain why this happened and ensure it does not happen again”.
Tice said Sir Ed had failed to “ask the right questions that voters would expect a minister of the crown to ask” and should resign as Liberal Democrat leader.
“Ed Davey applied what I would call the lazy and complacent ‘trust the executives’ approach, rather than being a diligent and conscientious minister, who challenged the establishment and the status quo and did not accept what he was told,” he said. he told the Telegraph.
Allies have said the Liberal Democrat leader, who was Post Office Minister from May 2010 to February 2012, is being made a scapegoat.
A source close to him insisted: “As Alan Bates said yesterday, Ed was one of many ministers who were misled and lied to by the Post Office.”
