Ms Vennells has beforehand apologised for what occurred, and mentioned in April 2021: “I am truly sorry for the suffering caused to the 39 sub-postmasters as a result of their convictions which were overturned last week.”
Asked concerning the petition, Mr Sunak’s official spokesman advised reporters: “The Prime Minister shares the general public’s energy and feeling of outrage on this challenge.
“He would strongly help the forfeiture committee if it selected to review the case. You will know it’s a choice for the committee, reasonably than from the Government. He would strongly help it in the event that they selected to try this.”
The committee exists to think about instances the place a person who has been honoured is judged to have introduced the honours system into disrepute.
‘Were they asleep at the wheel?’
The Horizon scandal has acquired political recent consideration after Mr Bates vs the Post Office, a drama telling the story of victims’ years-long marketing campaign for justice, aired on ITV final week.
Mr Jones has written beforehand to the committee about Ms Vennells’s honour however was advised in 2022 that the difficulty would solely be checked out after the general public inquiry ended.
He needs the difficulty to be handled now. “I’m not sure what more evidence is needed to be put in the public domain that isn’t already out there,” he mentioned.
Ms Hughes, the author behind the ITV drama that has put the scandal again within the headlines, mentioned: “Here is what I believe is most fascinating. Paula was supplied and accepted her CBE at a degree when it was already clear to anybody paying consideration that one thing had gone badly improper within the organisation she led.
“So what on earth was occurring? Were the Honours folks asleep on the wheel once they made the provide? Even extra intriguingly, when Paula accepted it, what was she pondering? I’m questioning, was she in denial?”