The Horizon scandal is widely accepted to be one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history and the scale of this injustice has rightly left people outraged. 

For decades, sub-postmasters battled against false accusations of financial misconduct. This scandal has robbed them of their lives, their liberty and their livelihoods and they have been waiting far too long for the truth, for justice and for compensation.  

The road to justice for those sub-postmasters has been mired in many delays and barriers.  

Over the years, this scandal has been debated in the House of Commons on many occasions. However, a recent moving ITV drama ‘Mr Bates v The Post Office’ has brought the scandal to a wider audience and into the mainstream debate. This resulted in the Government announcing it would introduce legislation to overturn the convictions of all those convicted in England and Wales on the basis of Post Office evidence given during the Horizon scandal. 

I welcome this announcement and am ready to support the Government to deliver a solution that achieves that long-awaited justice and compensation at pace. While it cannot undo the historic wrongs victims have suffered, exoneration is vital to ensuring justice is finally delivered for the postmasters who have undergone the trauma of wrongful conviction and its consequences. 

The drama series follows Alan Bates, a sub-postmaster who ran a post office in the Llandudno, North Wales. It serves as a powerful reminder of the way television and the creative industries can be used to tackle injustice and to raise public awareness.  

I also pay tribute to those who have campaigned on this issue for so long. Without their perseverance and dedication, there would have been no progress towards delivering justice.  

The movement in this case is very welcome but it also raises questions about compensation in other cases. The WASPI campaign which is fighting for justice for all women born in the 1950s affected by the changes to the State Pension Age or the Infected Blood Scandal, are issues directly affecting a number of my constituents . I hope to highlight these important campaigns in Parliament on Thursday.  

In the meantime, if you have been affected by the Post Office scandal and would like to get in touch, please don’t hesitate to do so samantha.dixon.mp@parliament.uk