The business secretary has accused the Post Office chair she sacked of a 'blatant attempt to seek revenge' after he made explosive allegations about the government’s handling of the Horizon scandal. Kemi Badenoch launched an extended attack on Henry Staunton in the Commons on Monday. The furore began over the weekend after Staunton gave an interview to the Sunday Times accusing the government of wanting to stall compensation payments to victims of the Horizon scandal until after the general election. In his interview, Staunton said that Badenoch had told him when she fired him: 'Well, someone’s got to take the rap for this.' He also claimed that soon after starting his role in December 2022, he was instructed by a senior civil servant to delay compensation payouts so the Conservatives could 'limp into' the general election

Source: The Guardian February 20, 2024 06:38 UTC