Good morning
I managed to put up two blog posts yesterday – one on Pat “Magic” McFadden – former Post Office minister and current Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the second on Sir Ed Davey – former Post Office minister and current leader of the Liberal Democrats. McFadden gave evidence to the Post Office Inquiry in the morning and Ed Davey appeared in the afternoon. You can read both blog posts below:
Pat’s Proof Points (and other McFadden Mantras)
It has been a long week! As soon as I’ve finished this I’ll be up to London to do a quick hit for Times Radio before making my way to the Inquiry for Jo Swinson and Dame Moya Greene’s evidence.
Swinson is interesting because she was the Post Office minister when Second Sight were sacked. Former Royal Mail CEO Greene has become interesting for the text exchange revealed during Paula Vennells evidence to the Post Office Inquiry in which Greene, channelling Mean Girls, wrote: “I don’t know what to say. I think you knew. m”
My plan is to live-tweet both participants and get a report up on Swinson before ensuring this afternoon/evening’s Subpostmasters Social goes well. Greene may well not get a blog post, though I’ll make sure tomorrow’s newsletter contains links to any other write-ups.
Speaking of write-ups, Karl Flinders from Computer Weekly has his take on yesterday’s evidence. It’s called:
Government trusted ‘abuser’ over the abused on Post Office scandal
and John Crace has written a sketch:
Exit Bungee-jumping Ed, enter Shifty Ed as Davey attends the Post Office inquiry
and here’s the BBC take: Davey says he was ‘lied to’ about Horizon IT flaws
Correction and Apology
In yesterday’s newsletter (written in something of a hurry) I wrote about Ed Davey’s part time job “working for Herbert Smith Freehills, stating that the law firm were responsible for “the patently unfair Horizon Shortfall Scheme for Subpostmasters affected by the scandal.”
I said: “HSF continue to act for the Post Office on matters of compensation – recently advising that Alan Bates should be offered less than a quarter of his compensation claim.”
I have been contacted by a representative of HSF to point out that Sir Alan Bates of course is part of the Group Litigation Order (GLO) Compensation Scheme and that HSF does not advise the Post Office on GLO scheme. They add that with regard to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, “Herbert Smith Freehills does not decide on the amount of compensation offered or paid to individual sub-postmasters, or on the amount of compensation available overall.”
Happy to make this correction and apologies for sending out duff information.
Moorhead hits the trail once more
Speaking of lawyers (which, thinking about it, is most of what I seem to do nowadays) Richard Moorhead has written another one of his epic series of substack posts – this time concentrating on the evidence of Womble Bond Dickinson solicitor Andy Parsons. Do have a read if you can.
Thanks to everyone who has signed up over the last few days and thanks to everyone who has emailed with ideas, thoughts, corrections (I am particularly grateful to those who sense check my blog posts), tips and general comments. Apologies if I don’t reply. I do read and appreciate every message.
Hope it’s not too sunny where you are. It all apparently changes again tomorrow!
Very best
Nick