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1/2 The Information Commissioner has today reprimanded the Cabinet Office for failing to conduct sufficiently thorough searches in response to an FOI regarding the Post Office Inquiry:

The Government has opened pre-registration for the Horizon Family Member Redress Scheme, an important step towards recognising the impact the Post Office Horizon scandal had not only on Postmasters, but also on their families. Hudgell Solicitors has campaigned alongside @LostChances2024 and affected families to help bring about this Scheme and secure recognition for the harm suffered by family members. If you believe you may be eligible, we encourage you to pre-register now so your claim can be prioritised when the Scheme formally opens later this year. Pre-register here: gov.uk/government/pub… Please note that you must complete and submit the pre-registration form yourself, as there is currently no provision for solicitors to do this on your behalf. Once you have pre-registered, we recommend seeking independent legal advice to ensure any claim is fully assessed and compensation maximised. Importantly, legal costs will be covered by the Government, meaning you will retain 100% of any compensation awarded. Hudgell Solicitors has extensive experience representing clients across the various Post Office compensation schemes and supporting those affected by one of the UK's greatest miscarriages of justice. For advice about the Scheme, contact our specialist team: postofficeclaims@hudgellsolicitors.co.uk #RightingWrongs

#postofficescandal 🚨 The Government has launched pre-registration for the Family Redress Scheme for those affected by the Post Office scandal — a welcome step forward. Lost Chances has been at the forefront of campaigning for recognition and support for the children and families impacted by this injustice for the past two and a half years. We are pleased that some children will now have the opportunity to benefit from this scheme and receive the support they deserve, after many have lived with the consequences of these experiences for over 25 years. While there is still much work to do, this marks progress in the right direction. We hope that Fujitsu will now follow suit and recognise its role by taking meaningful action to support those affected, as to date they have contributed £0 towards addressing the impact of this scandal. @stugoo17 @VarchasPatel @chrish9070 @ElCShaikh @nickwallis @ArchNichola @JoHamil73963257 @brianwhelton @voiceofthePM @BBCEmmaSimpson @SkyNewsAdele @debrapet @Alicetweets @liambyrnemp @SorrowNoMore1 @Jusmasel2015 @CastletonLee @HouseofCommons @premnsikka @KateOsborneMP @Karlfl @Grenfellnextkin @IBCA_UK @NowHillsborough @HillsboroughSu1 @andyburnham #PostOfficeScandal #JusticeForSubpostmasters #FamilyRedress

#PostOfficeScandal Written statement by @PostOffice Minister Blair McDougall to the @HouseofCommons Statement On 19 March this year, I updated the House about this Government’s preparations to launch a redress scheme for family members of postmasters most affected by the Horizon scandal. As we approach the anniversary of the publication of Volume 1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report ( @PostOffInquiry ), which recommended that financial redress should be provided to close family members of those most adversely impacted by the Horizon scandal, I want to reassure those awaiting updates that this scheme is progressing and that we remain committed to helping this group. I am happy to announce that the Horizon Family Member Redress Scheme will open for registrations on 16 July 2026. This will allow potential applicants to come forward and begin the process by submitting information that will support the assessment of their applications later this autumn. Applicants will be able to access the registration form, alongside further information about the scheme, here: gov.uk/government/pub… Guidance for prospective applicants is also available at this link, setting out the type of documents that will be required to demonstrate eligibility once we start to consider claims. This guidance will help applicants to prepare the relevant documents in advance, so they are not unduly held up demonstrating their eligibility. Processing of cases is expected to begin in the autumn of this year, once the department has completed the necessary procurement steps to appoint an external supplier to manage this work. At that point cases will be dealt with in the order they were received. Those who register now will be among the first to have their cases examined. Those who are unable to register now or wish to wait until a later date are free to do so and this will not impact their cases other than them being considered slightly later. questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statem…

#PostOfficeInquiry #PostOfficeScandal #Horizon #Maxwellisation What is "Maxwellisation," and why does it routinely drag UK public inquiries to a grinding halt ❓ A short history of a well-intentioned legal rule that became a multi-million-pound shield against accountability—and how the game has changed. 🔻📩🔻 THE ORIGIN: It is named after publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell. In a 1974 court case against the DTI, it was established that if an official report is going to slam your reputation, you have a right of reply *before* it is published. THE ABUSE:What started as basic procedural fairness was weaponised by deep-pocketed legal teams to delay findings for years. The Chilcot Iraq War Inquiry took seven years; the HBOS bank collapse took seven years. Why? Lawyers demanding endless revisions. THE CRACKDOWN: In 2016, a landmark review by Andrew Green QC called time on the filibustering. The law requires a fair chance to respond, NOT a secondary, open-ended legal negotiation. Modern rules now enforce: ⚖️Tight ~21-day response windows ⚖️ Redacted "gists" rather than full draft chapters *⚖️One single round of representations (no feedback loops) THE 2026 REALITY: Look no further than the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. Just today (July 8, 2026), Chair Sir Wyn Williams confirmed that Maxwellisation warning letters for the massive final volumes are underway—and he flatly refused to pause the process for the traditional summer legal recess. THE VERDICT: Speed is a cornerstone of public justice. For decades, Maxwellisation served those with the resources to stall the truth. Today Inquiry chairs are increasingly reclaiming control, but pushing past the legal stalling remains the ultimate test of public accountability.

#PostOfficeScandal #Horizon #Fujitsu The Post Office has extended the standstill period on the Horizon replacement contract for a fourth time. What skeletons have been found hidden in the cupboard during discovery❓ computerweekly.com/news/366645716…

Post Office Horizon replacement contract delayed further bit.ly/4fp1TmG

#PostOfficeScandal A progress update has been released by Sir Wyn Williams , Chair of the @PostOffInquiry In that update it appears we are unlikely to see the final part of the report this year, and it will run into 2027. This is due to a number of warning letters sent to those who may receive criticism in the report (known as the 'Maxwellisation process'). It is also due to the vast volume of evidence, the complexity and length of time the scandal went on for and the extremely detailed written evidence from core participants. This will be frustrating for many, however it is absolutely vital the inquiry is able to complete its work in as much detail as possible so that ultimately the right people are held to account. The statement reads :- 1) A year ago today, I made public Volume 1 of my report. As I made clear in my Introduction to that Volume, I was determined that the “human impact” endured by those who were adversely affected by Horizon should be placed at the forefront of my report to the Minister. Furthermore, it seemed natural to combine my description of the suffering endured by so many with my assessment of, and conclusions about, the attempts made by the Post Office, the Minister and the Department to provide redress to those affected which was “full fair and prompt”. In the months immediately after the close of the Inquiry’s hearings, therefore, most of my time was spent on Volume 1. 2) Having written Volume 1, it seemed obvious that it should be published promptly; it was capable of being read as a discrete part of my report and it contained a number of recommendations relating to the issue of redress which I hoped would be accepted within the timescale I set out in Recommendation 1 and implemented in early course thereafter. 3) Following the publication of Volume 1, I turned my attention to the remainder of my report, although, of course, parts of my Team had been undertaking necessary preparatory work while I was concentrating on Volume 1. I quickly formed the view that the remainder of my report would be split into 5 Volumes. The Volumes would cover the period from the “birth” of Legacy Horizon to a suitable date this year. Each Volume would cover a specified time period; each Volume would, so far as reasonably possible, follow a chronological narrative. 4) My working assumption in the summer of last year was that I would complete these 5 Volumes within a period of about 12 months. As my drafting work has progressed, however, I have come to realise that my working assumption was too optimistic. It has taken me longer than I expected to properly analyse the salient parts of the written and oral evidence, the huge volume of documents and the very detailed written submissions of the Core Participants. It is also worth noting that several of the remaining Volumes are necessarily substantial in length, reflecting the scale of the evidence and complexity of the issues they address. 5) All that said what is known in the world of Public Inquiries as the Maxwellisation process is now underway. For the sake of brevity, I do not propose to describe that process in detail. It suffices to say that I am subject to a legal requirement to provide a written warning to those individuals or institutions likely to be the subject of criticism in my report. They are entitled to be given notice of the substance of the criticism, and they may, if they so choose, make representations to me about the proposed criticism. Obviously, I must afford to those who are the subject of criticism time to digest what I say and respond if they think it appropriate. In the light of the responses I receive I will have to make a determination about whether my criticisms should be modified or removed when I publish the remainder of my report. 6) Warning letters to those who have been criticised in Volumes 2 and 3 have been sent out. Over the course of the coming months, I anticipate that warning letters will be despatched to those criticised in Volumes 4 to 6 inclusive. I do not propose to pause this process during what is regarded by lawyers, traditionally, as the summer vacation i.e. August and September. I recognise there is compelling need to publish the remaining 5 Volumes of my report as soon as is reasonably practicable. 7) I have given some thought to whether I should publish the remaining 5 Volumes sequentially as and when they are finalised. I am firmly of the view that this way of proceeding is to be avoided. Volumes 2 to 5 are inextricably linked. They must be published and considered together if the reader is to gain a proper understanding of the myriad of events and decisions which are described and analysed in those Volumes. No useful purpose would be served by publishing Volume 6 (which is concerned with the events and issues which have arisen since the conclusion of the litigation between Sir Alan Bates and the Post Office) before Volumes 2 to 5.  In any event I do not think that sequential publication of the Volumes would materially bring forward the date when the whole of the remainder of my report is made public. 8) The reality is that I am still some months away from completing the necessary work for the report to be ready for publication. I appreciate that for some it will seem as if an inordinate length of time has elapsed since the Inquiry’s hearings came to a close and that a further significant period of time will elapse before the remainder of my report is published. All I can say in response is that my Team and I have been and are working through a vast amount of material as quickly as we reasonably can in all the circumstances. The full text can be read here👇 postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/progress-updat…

Statement from the Chair of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry - looks like we'll be very lucky to get the final report this year: postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/progress-updat…

RT @stugoo17: 📌 #POSTOFFICEINQUIRY #POSTOFFICESCANDAL 🚨 Sir Wyn Williams confirms: the final five Volumes of his report are still "some mo…

Sir Wyn Williams, Chair of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, issues progress update on the final report, including: - the remaining volumes to be published together - confirmation the Maxwellisation process is under way. Read more: ⬇️ postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/progress-updat…

#PostOfficeScandal #PostOffice #Morrisons More than 50 Post Office Branches are to disappear as part of Morrisons’ plans to close around 100 struggling Morrisons Daily convenience stores. This on top of 60 closures of Branches inside TG Jones High Street stores. betterretailing.com/more-than-50-p… @voiceofthePM @CWUPostmaster @nickwallis @PostOfficeNews

@nickwallis presented his forthcoming book The Great Post Office Cover Up due out in the autumn. A percentage of sales is donated to the Horizon Scandal Fund to support those impacted by the scandal; donations are much needed & gratefully received via:  horizonscandalfund.org

Curse of private equity Up to 150 ex-WHSmith stores to close as rescue deal approved. Substantial debts owed to creditors written off. Will have knock-on effects. Post offices housed within shops will go. Many towns/districts will have no post office. theguardian.com/business/2026/…

📣🚨 New FSU Podcast episode is about to drop! On this week’s episode of the FSU Podcast, @_ConnieShaw interviews investigative reporter Nick Wallis. @nickwallis played a leading role in exposing the horrors of the Post Office scandal — the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history. He is now turning his attention to exposing the medical safeguarding harms associated with gender ideology. The full episode will be available on the FSU YouTube channel at 2pm today.

Post Office’s Horizon EPOS replacement contract signing delayed again #PostOfficeScandal computerweekly.com/news/366645261…

The sub-postmaster knew your name. Then Horizon told a lie – and the Post Office chose to believe the machine over the people. Hundreds of honest sub-postmasters were accused of theft. Some were bankrupted. Some lost their lives. The Business and Trade Committee, which I chair, said it plainly: Government must clear every Horizon claim by year's end. And Fujitsu – who built the faulty system – must stop hiding. Name a figure. Set a timetable. So far, they've set aside nothing. Read my latest column in the Solihull Observer:

@stugoo17 @CWU_Huw This is why Post Office uk want to model themselves on Auspost?? We should be leading with increasing postmaster involvement in decision making, not "forcing" decisions on our postmasters like down under!

In an exclusive blog for @LabourList Community's Self-Employed Committee Chair Philip Ross discusses the 'dark cloud' hanging over self-employed workers Read the article in full below📷 labourlist.org/2026/05/labour…