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The subpostmaster who exposed the Post Office Horizon IT scandal received a knighthood at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
Sir Alan Bates, 70, led a decades-long campaign to expose the national scandal, which saw more than 700 subpostmasters prosecuted by the Post Office and given criminal convictions between 1999 and 2015.
Sir Alan was the figurehead in the drive to clear his colleagues’ names and win compensation after they were wrongly accused of stealing money from the Post Office.
The accusations came after Fujitsu’s faulty Horizon IT system made it appear money was missing from some branches.
He arrived at Windsor Castle with his wife, Lady Suzanne Sercombe, where he was awarded the honour which recognises services to justice.
After collecting his award from the Princess Royal, Sir Alan said it came “out of the blue” when he was offered the knighthood in June.
“It was a bit of a surprise, it sort of came out of the blue,” he said.
“I’m quite honoured by it – to be recognised for the work that I’ve done over the years. It’s been a hard slog over many years.
“I accept it gratefully, but not just for myself, but for the whole group, and for everything we’ve all been through.
“If it gives me an extra sort of stick to beat the authorities over the head, so be it – I’ll put it to good use.”
Last year Sir Alan rejected the offer of an OBE, saying it would not be appropriate to accept while Paula Vennells, CEO of the Post Office during the scandal, still held a CBE.
But after an ITV drama about the scandal renewed national outrage earlier this year, Ms Vennells handed back her CBE.
Mr Bates vs the Post Office was watched by millions across the UK and starred Toby Jones as Sir Alan – or simply Alan Bates during the time depicted.
The drama shows the foundation of the grassroots Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance in 2009, through which Sir Alan reached out to and supported hundreds of former post office workers who had been affected by the Horizon scandal.
Speaking after the ceremony, Sir Alan said the financial schemes to support affected subpostmasters have come to a “standstill” and “seem to be failing now”. The Labour government has not been in touch, he said.
Sir Alan added: “I think we’ve got to get rid of the bureaucracy that’s holding the whole thing up and driving it into the ground, and it’s proving such a headache for so many of the victims who are still suffering after so many years.
“The Post Office is as bad as ever. The financial redress schemes are just not working to the extent that they should, and it’s just a mess. It needs to be taken out of government’s hands, and it needs to be put into an organisation that can resolve things very, very quickly because it’s gone on too long, and people are still suffering.”
Sir Alan and Lady Suzanne bought a post office and haberdashery in Llandudno, Wales, in 1998.
Two years later, the Horizon IT system was installed – it was designed to help keep track of the subpostmasters’ finances.
But within just two months discrepancies appeared in the finances. After denying they were his fault and refusing to cover the shortfall, Sir Alan was fired from the Post Office in November 2003.
Despite not being prosecuted, he lost the £65,000 he and Lady Suzanne had invested into the business.
The scandal was first reported in Computer Weekly in 2009. Hundreds of subpostmasters began coming forward to the Justice for Subpostmaster Alliance, and Sir Alan led 555 claimants in a legal case for compensation.
The case won a settlement of £57.75m, but after legal fees, the subpostmasters were left with little. Sir Alan continues to campaign for fair compensation.
An independent enquiry was set up by the government in 2020, which is now in its latter stages.