Rishi Sunak has announced new legislation to exonerate wrongly convicted Post Office branch managers after one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.
The prime minister also said there would be a new upfront payment of £75,000 for some of those affected.
Mr Sunak said a new law would be introduced so people wrongly convicted in the Horizon scandal are “swiftly exonerated and compensated”.
At the weekend he said ministers should look at “every which way we can” to help those embroiled in the scandal.
The action follows widespread public outcry after ITV aired a drama, Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, based on the scandal.
Fujitsu’s faulty Horizon accounting software made it appear as though money was missing from outlets and branch managers were forced to pay back thousands of pounds.
Hundreds were convicted based on the faults and many are yet to have their convictions quashed.
The Post Office was prosecuting those caught up in the scandal as recently as 2015.
Mr Sunak said they were victims of “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history”.
He MPs: “We will introduce new primary legislation to ensure that those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal are swiftly exonerated and compensated.”