Kemi Badenoch takes aim at former Post Office chair

The UK’s business secretary Kemi Badenoch has accused the former chairman of the Post Office of “a blatant attempt to seek revenge following dismissal”, after Henry Staunton claimed he’d been told to slow down compensation for sub-postmasters affected by the Horizon scandal. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Staunton claimed he had been told by a senior government official to slow down payments to allow the Conservatives to “limp into” the next election with minimal financial liability. Badenoch had already accused Staunton of being “full of lies” on X. In the House of Commons she used more parliamentary language, saying Staunton’s claim was “patently untrue”. She also revealed that he was being investigated for bullying when sacked. There was “no evidence” for his claims, Badenoch said, adding that her phone call informing Staunton that his services were no longer required had been minuted and a read-out was being published.