LibDem leader’s refusal to meet victims of Post Office Horizon scandal triggers general election challenge

LibDem leader Ed Davey is facing an election challenge from New Malden’s former Deputy Postmistress, Yvonne Tracey, amid public outrage at his handling of the Post Office Horizon scandal, following the landmark, true-life ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office.

Davey served as minister for postal affairs in the Coalition government, but for months refused to meet campaigning sub-postmaster Alan Bates and his fellow victims about ‘flaws of the Horizon system’ arguing it would not ‘serve any purpose’.

Responding to Davey’s letter, Bates said he found the 121-word response – sweeping away the suggestion of a meeting on the basis it would not serve “any useful purpose” – to be “offensive.”

Ms Tracey, served for more than 30 years, meeting residents over the counter at New Malden Post Office and now serves as an Independent councillor on Kingston Council. She said:

Come the next election, it’s incumbent on those seeking justice for our sub-postmasters to send a strong message to Sir Ed.

Sir Ed is now blaming others for his failure to challenge civil servants and do his job properly. His attitude to the hundreds of sub-postmasters over the years must be challenged.

Here in his own constituency, the sub-postmaster at Tolworth Post Office Sathyan Shiju lost his home, his business and attempted suicide on more than one occasion. He tried three times to get in touch with Sir Ed and every time he was turned away, refused or ignored.

But Ms Tracey indicated she would stand aside if a sub-postmaster or mistress who suffered directly in the scandal was willing to stand against Davey personally:

I’d encourage and wholeheartedly support the candidacy of a former sub-postmaster coming forward to take the challenge to Sir Ed – and indeed the other former postal ministers who are still MPs, who ignored the plight of sub-postmasters for years. But understandably, many of the victims have no confidence in the system and have suffered years of hell at the hands of the Post Office.

So in lieu of a sub-postmaster coming forward, I will take up the mantle. I’m standing as a resident – not a politician – to put honesty and integrity back into this election, and fight tirelessly for justice once and for all for my former colleagues.

You can find out more about her campaign on her website: www.yvonnetracey.org

SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.

If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.