What’s going to the Submit Workplace scandal herald 2026?
Developments within the Submit Workplace scandal’s publicity moved slowly for a few years, with every part usually feeling like a geological time interval for its victims.
Issues accelerated after the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Submit Workplace aired within the first week of 2024, when the scandal hit the political and public conscience like a meteorite. However nonetheless, unravelling 20 years of malfeasance, authorities failures and cover-ups isn’t going to be fast.
Two years have handed since ITV broadcast its dramatisation of the Submit Workplace scandal, and it has been 16 years since Laptop Weekly first uncovered the pc issues that triggered it.
It’s a decade since subpostmasters affected by the scandal started their journey to the Excessive Courtroom, when in 2015 they started making ready a bunch litigation order to show pc issues precipitated the account shortfalls they have been blamed for.
One other six years have been and gone since court docket judgments confirmed this. On the time of these judgments, the Submit Workplace was compelled to open its first compensation scheme for subpostmasters affected by the scandal, but some are nonetheless ready for truthful settlements.
The primary wrongful convictions of subpostmasters blamed for account shortfalls have been overturned 5 years in the past, but many others nonetheless wait.
It is usually half a decade for the reason that Metropolitan Police opened the primary prison investigation into potential crimes dedicated throughout the scandal, and it’s about 20 months since a nationwide police investigation was launched, generally known as Operation Olympos.
The statutory public inquiry wanting into the scandal started listening to oral proof 4 years in the past, and it has already been over a 12 months since this a part of the inquiry ended.
That’s only a few of the developments, which supplies an thought of the torpid nature of unravelling the scandal. In actual fact, the time that has handed since Laptop Weekly uncovered the scandal, in 2009, is longer than the time period the Submit Workplace prosecuted subpostmasters for Horizon shortfalls (2000 to 2015).
Frustratingly for these affected, in a 12 months’s time, within the inevitable subsequent article to this, there’ll nonetheless be years to go earlier than the scandal and its fallout is now not in practice.
Laptop Weekly printed greater than 80 articles concerning the scandal in 2025 alone. So, what’s going to 2026 convey?
Public inquiry report, half two
The publication of the Submit Workplace scandal public inquiry’s second report is undoubtedly essentially the most vital occasion anticipated this 12 months. The primary report, which targeted solely on the human impression of the scandal (part one) and compensation, mentioned there was a “actual chance” that 13 suicides had been attributable to the scandal.
The general public inquiry chair, former decide Wyn Williams, mentioned: “The image which has emerged and is described in my report is profoundly disturbing.”
In his 162-page report, Williams mentioned no less than 10,000 individuals had been impacted to totally different levels on account of the flawed Horizon IT system and the Submit Workplace’s response to phantom losses, which it falsely attributed to subpostmasters.
Learn extra about part one of many public inquiry
Half two of Williams’ report will likely be far wider reaching, overlaying the opposite six phases of the inquiry.
These phases, which ran for 2 years from late 2022, regarded on the Horizon IT system, its operation, authorized motion in opposition to subpostmasters, redress, governance, and present apply and procedures.
There isn’t a set date for publication this 12 months.
Police investigation updates
In 2024, the Metropolitan Police arrange a nationwide investigation – now generally known as Operation Olympos – into the Submit Workplace scandal.
Within the newest replace, final month, the investigation had eight suspects and 53 individuals of curiosity. Police have mentioned the investigation is targeted on the offences of perjury and perverting the course of justice, however fees of company manslaughter are additionally being thought-about.
There will likely be additional updates throughout this 12 months, however it’s anticipated to be 2027/2028 earlier than any trials of Fujitsu and Submit Workplace workers may start.
The getaway driver and the federal government
If the Submit Workplace was the prison mastermind behind the scandal, Fujitsu was the getaway driver. Past the general public inquiry revealing the extent of the provider’s involvement and the police investigating it, there may be the small matter of it paying a significant contribution to the large value of the scandal. Tons of of tens of millions of kilos may simply be a place to begin, as soon as its share of the blame is made clearer by the ultimate public inquiry report.
Fujitsu’s modified relationship with the federal government and the broader enterprise sector will even be attention-grabbing to look at. The corporate is already shedding authorities enterprise on account of public anger and is being snubbed by corporations within the personal sector involved about their very own reputations.
Learn extra about Fujitsu’s position within the Submit Workplace scandal
Seize all victims
After the primary conviction of a subpostmaster primarily based on the Seize system was referred to the Courtroom of Enchantment final 12 months, it took campaigners previous one other landmark.
The Seize system, which was used earlier than Horizon, hit the headlines following the ITV dramatisation of the Submit Workplace scandal, when former customers noticed similarities to their very own experiences.
The Prison Instances Evaluation Fee is reviewing about 30 prosecutions primarily based on knowledge from Seize. It has referred one to the Courtroom of Enchantment thus far.
However in one other twist, the referral of a conviction of a former subpostmaster who was prosecuted for shortfalls when utilizing yet one more system, generally known as Computerized Fee Service (APS) and Computerized Fee Terminal (APT), may encourage different subpostmasters to return ahead.
One other system, ECCO+, was primarily utilized in Submit Workplace-owned Crown branches. However when subpostmasters took over Crown branches, in addition they used the software program. There have been tales of main issues linked to ECCO+, and others may emerge.
Horizon substitute undertaking
Underlying all of the scandal-related exercise is an ongoing undertaking to interchange the system that precipitated the issues within the first place.
On the finish of the 2018/19 group litigation order, the place subpostmasters proved that Horizon errors have been inflicting surprising account shortfalls, the Submit Workplace knew it was time to interchange the system. But six years on, it’s nonetheless working the companies of hundreds of subpostmasters – and nonetheless producing account discrepancies within the course of. In the meantime, Fujitsu continues to rake in tens of millions of kilos in contract funds.
Issues have moved on, however not that easily.
The large hope was the New Department IT undertaking, which concerned an in-house software program construct to interchange Fujitsu’s Horizon, however amid rising prices and delays, it was labelled “unachievable”. Failures like this have meant Fujitsu has obtained extension after extension of its controversial contract.
However now it seems the times actually are numbered for Horizon and Fujitsu on the Submit Workplace. The organisation finds itself going again to what insiders had argued for within the first place, with an off-the-shelf system being sought.
Fujitsu will likely be out, though probably not till 2028, and the federal government has put out a young for an off-the-shelf various to Horizon and one other for a provider to run Horizon till the brand new system is up and working, though this may not be till 2033.
Laptop proof assessment
The foundations round pc proof in court docket additionally had a hand within the wrongful prosecutions and convictions of subpostmasters. The Submit Workplace used its personal prosecution powers to ship subpostmasters to court docket, or threaten them with court docket to scare them into overlaying unexplained shortfalls with their very own cash.
In 1999, a brand new rule on the usage of pc proof in court docket was launched, which went on to allow the Submit Workplace to prosecute and destroy the lives of harmless subpostmasters.
It changed the rule which acknowledged that computer-based proof must be topic to proof that the pc system was working correctly on the time of the alleged offence, which meant defendants needed to show the pc wasn’t working on the time of the alleged crime, leaving subpostmasters with little probability.
However since consciousness and understanding of the Submit Workplace scandal has grown, together with the overturning of the convictions of tons of of individuals, the federal government has agreed to assessment this rule, calling on specialists for his or her views. Developments are anticipated this 12 months.
Learn extra concerning the court docket rule that fuelled the Submit Workplace’s prosecution rampage
Compensation
Then we’ve the massively vital matter of pretty compensating victims. Will this 12 months no less than see all of the victims paid?
The Submit Workplace scandal was first uncovered by Laptop Weekly in 2009, revealing the tales of seven subpostmasters and the issues they suffered as a result of Horizon accounting system from Fujitsu (see timeline of Laptop Weekly articles concerning the scandal under).
