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The move will give the inquiry new powers to compel witnesses and demand documentary evidence. Parties who fail to comply with the new inquiry or take actions to hinder it could face a fine, imprisonment, or both. The inquiry’s Terms of Reference will also be changed to clarify that it can investigate the Post Office’s decision-making in pursuing prosecutions of postmasters.
This decision follows engagement with postmasters by Prime minister Boris Johnson and Postal Affairs Minister Paul Scully to determine the best option to understand where mistakes were made and ensure something like this does not happen again. The next phase of the inquiry will begin from 1 June.
Johnson said: “We must stand with postmasters to get to the bottom of what went wrong in the Post Office Horizon IT dispute. I heard first-hand the irreparable impact it has had on their lives.
“That’s why, in light of the recent Court of Appeal judgment, we’re stepping up our independent inquiry by putting it on a statutory footing, so we can get the answers they deserve.”
Postal affairs minister, Paul Scully, said: “Sir Wyn and I are both of the view that the context for the inquiry has changed in light of the Court of Appeal’s judgment and that now is the right moment to convert the inquiry to a statutory footing.
“While the inquiry has already made significant progress, these extra powers will ensure the inquiry has access to all the information it needs to establish the truth.”
The government said the change to the inquiry means it will have an extended time frame, with its final report now expected in autumn 2022, rather than summer 2021. However, there will be a progress update this summer, to set out the inquiry’s progress to date and any initial findings.
