Over 1 million demand Post Office boss is stripped of CBE amid crunch talks to exonerate victims today

A PETITION demanding former Post Office boss Paula Vennells be stripped of her CBE title has hit a staggering million signatures on the same day of a high-stakes government meeting to address the Horizon scandal fallout.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk and postal minister Kevin Hollinrake will meet today to discuss possible ways of clearing the names of hundreds of convicted sub-postmasters.

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It comes after ITV aired a new drama into the scandal: Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which sparked widespread public interest and outcry.

It tells the story of the unjust accusation by the Post Office that former sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were responsible for financial discrepancies caused by the computerised accounting system, Horizon.

Demands for the Honours Forfeiture Committee to remove Ms Vennells' gong have also emerged in the wake of the drama, with a petition reaching the one-million milestone overnight.

Ms Vennells served as the CEO of the Post Office while it routinely denied there were problems with its Horizon IT system.

This morning, Treasury Minister Bim Afolami told ITV senior Post Office executives “absolutely need to account for their actions” but speaking to the BBC afterwards, he insisted it is not “up for individual ministers to decide” whether she should keep her title.

But Labour did not hold back, with Shadow Environment Secretary Steve Reed telling TalkTV: “In terms of the honour that the former head of the Post Office received… well, speaking for myself personally here, I do think she should give that back.

“It’s an insult to the sub-postmasters who suffered from what her leadership delivered that she should accept that honour.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is also under mounting pressure to break his silence after ignoring pleas for help from accused Post Office manager Alan Bates in 2010.

He served as postal affairs minister between May 2010 and February 2012 under the Lib Dem-Conservative coalition government.

Reports suggest since the dramatisation of the scandal was broadcast, 50 new potential victims have approached lawyers.

The Post Office is wholly owned by the Government and a public inquiry into Horizon is ongoing.

As Parliament returns from its Christmas recess today, the PM will be under growing pressure from his own MPs as well as campaigners to do more to right the wrongs.

The Prime Minister said on Sunday the Government was "looking at" the option of exonerating the Post Office branch managers involved in the scandal.

He also confirmed Mr Chalk was considering ways of helping to clear the names of those convicted.

According to The Sunday Times, the Justice Secretary is looking at whether the Post Office can be stripped of its role in the appeals process as victims continue to attempt to overturn wrongful convictions.

One option being considered by the Cabinet minister is whether the Crown Prosecution Service could take over the process, which the newspaper said could make it easier for convictions to be quashed.

Tory former Cabinet Minister David Davis told the BBC “justice delayed is justice denied” and that the exoneration process “can be accelerated” as well as the compensation.

He added: “We have got to get on with the convictions, the investigation, the accountability, establishing who is responsible for this.”