Denton MP Andrew Gwynne has welcomed the launch of a new fund to recover losses incurred by sub-masters as they fought to clear their name after being wrongly prosecuted by the Post Office.

The Horizon IT Scandal relates to a faulty computer system called Horizon introduced in the 1990s to process transactions in post offices. The system falsely showed shortfalls and many postmasters were either criminally convicted or forced to pay back thousands of pounds that they did not actually owe.

555 postmasters won a landmark legal action against the post office in 2019, which paved the way for the quashing of many convictions. They faced significant losses after legal fees and costs. In March of last year, the Government decided to fund a scheme to offer compensation for the sub-postmasters who had incurred cost.

Gwynne has supported the cause of the sub-postmasters for many years and has repeatedly raised the plight of his constituent Della Ryan, the former sub-postmistress at Dukinfield Post Office and victim of the scandal.

Commenting, MP Gwynne said: "The 555 postmasters have been through absolute hell because of this scandal. They have been jailed, ostracised, and seen their lives ripped apart through no fault of their own.

“Whilst no amount of money can atone for what they’ve been through, the launch of this scheme is an important step in addressing this injustice.

“I would like to pay tribute to my constituent Della Ryan. This victory could not have been possible without her fierce campaigning and tireless dedication.

“Lessons need to be learned from this scandal, and all those involved in perpetrating this injustice must be held to account." 

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