Minister suggests Kemi Badenoch should publish evidence to confirm her claim about ex-Post Office chair – UK politics live
Good morning. Yesterday Kemi Badenoch, the business and trade secretary, accused the former Post Office chair, Henry Staunton, of giving an interview “full of lies” about the conversation they had when she sacked him recently. Josh Halliday has the story here, and here is one of the tweets from a thread tht Badenoch posted on Twitter.
My call with Staunton was with officials. They took a complete record. He has given an interview full of lies about our conversation during his dismissal. The details will emerge soon enough as I won’t let the matter rest here, but will be discussing with govt lawyers. (3/5)
My call with Staunton was with officials. They took a complete record.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) February 18, 2024
He has given an interview full of lies about our conversation during his dismissal.
The details will emerge soon enough as I won’t let the matter rest here, but will be discussing with govt lawyers. (3/5)
Badenoch said she would be making a further statement today.
The row is partly, but not entirely, about what was said in that Badenoch/Staunton conversation where he was sacked. Staunton told the Sunday Times that he had not even met Badenoch, that he learned he was going to lose his job from a Sky News journalist shortly before she called, and that in the conversation she referred to the Post Office Horizon scandal, telling him: “Well, someone’s got to take the rap for this.” Badenoch said yesterday that officials were listening in on the call and that they took a complete record.
The education secretary, Gillian Keegan, was doing the morning interview round for the government and she suggested that Badenoch should release the record of the conversation to prove her claims about Staunton telling lies. Asked on the Today programme if Badenoch would releasing those notes, she replied:
I’m sure they will make a statement or release something. My understanding is that the government made clear in the appointment letter that focusing on and in the appointment letter, that, you know, the focusing on and prioritising the compensation for sub-postmasters was a key aspect of the job.
The presenter, Mishal Husain, asked again if notes of the call would be released. Keegan said she had not spoken to Badenoch directly about this, but she said that she was sure officials did keep a record of what was said. Asked again if Badenoch would provide evidence to back up her claims, Keegan said:
I haven’t spoken to her, but I’m sure she will back it up.
The most serious claim made by Staunton in his Sunday Times interview was not about what Badenoch said when she sacked him, but what he said about another conversation, with an unnamed senior official in the business department. Staunton said he was told “to stall on spend on compensation [for victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal] and on the replacement of Horizon, and to limp, in quotation marks – I did a file note on it – limp into the election”.
In her Today interview, Keegan said this claim was “at odds” with what Staunton was told in his appointment letter, released by the department last night.
🚨 Fact Check 🚨
— Department for Business and Trade (@biztradegovuk) February 18, 2024
The Government made clear to the Chair of the Post Office that reaching payment settlements with victims of the Horizon scandal was a priority when he took the role. Claims to the contrary are simply not true.
Read the full letter below
👇 pic.twitter.com/QzPjDUURf2
Keegan said the letter “basically says you’re to prioritise the sub-postmasters and their fair compensation”.
But in fact the letter, sent by Sarah Munby, who at the time was permanent secretary at the department, does not quite say that. It says “resolving historical litigation issues” should be a priority. But it also implies an even more important priority is effective financial management, including “effective management of legal costs”.
The letter does not disprove Staunton’s claim about being told to “stall” on compensation payments. Staunton told the Sunday Times this was just a money issue, and arguably it is consistent with what the letter says about cost management.
Here is the agenda for the day.
10am: Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s first minister, gives a speech on Scotland’s green future.
10.30am: Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, holds a press conference on how the Welsh government is looking to strengthen international relationships.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
2.30pm: Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
After 3.30pm: A Foreign Office minister is expected to give a statement on the death of Alexei Navalny, and Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, is expected to give a statement on claims made by the former Post Office chair.
Afternoon: Peers resume the committee stage debate for the safety of Rwanda (asylum and immigration) bill.
4pm: Tim Davie, the BBC director general, gives evidence to the Commons public accounts committee.
Afternoon: David Cameron, the foreign secretary, is expected to arrive in the Falkland Islands.
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