10 Jan Alan Bates should be knighted ‘as soon as possible’ says cabinet minister Esther McVey
CABINET minister Esther McVey has said that campaigning former postmaster Alan Bates should receive a knighthood for exposing the Post Office accounting scandal “as soon as possible”.
Asked when he will be knighted, she told GB News: “As soon as possible, I hope, but obviously it’s got to go through the regular process.
“But I have to say when the New Year’s Honours List came through, I said I want to see more ordinary extraordinary people. And I’m quite convinced this man is an extraordinary person and the public will be behind him.
“Anybody can nominate him and I’m quite sure we will see Sir Alan as soon as possible.”
On measures to exonerate postmasters during a discussion during PMQs Live with Christopher Hope and Gloria de Piero, she added: “They’ve waited far too long across all parties from Tony Blair to Pat McFadden ignoring it, Ed Davey – they’re waited all too long. It [the government] does now have to act swiftly.
“£148 million has already been paid out in compensation. We’ve got the inquiry ongoing. There was a court case, £600,000 pounds…agreed to up front, if they were convicted.
“But this does need to be speedy and we do need to see this happening because people are saying it’s taken too long this compensation.”
Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds said she also backed a knighthood for Bates: “I think there’s a very strong argument for it.
“But I would say, as well as the symbolism around this and the empathy that we’ve heard, what these former postmasters really need to see is compensation and they need those wrongful convictions to be quashed…they’ve waited for far too long for that.
“So, absolutely, let’s honour those who campaigned so hard, particularly Alan Bates and others. But let’s make sure they get what’s due too because for many of them, they just cannot wait.
“Careers have been ruined and some of them now, sadly, are really quite elderly. They need to get that support and that restitution now.”
