Former West Boldon postmaster welcomes Boris Johnson's commitment to "getting to the bottom" of Post Office Horizon row after calls from Jarrow MP

Boris Johnson has committed to “getting to the bottom” of the Horizon Post Office row as Jarrow MP says he “must act”.
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The Prime Minister appears to have agreed to launch an independent inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT system scandal.

Jarrow MP Kate Osborne urged the Government to look into “monumental errors” which led to “bankruptcies, imprisonment and even suicide” at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, February 26.

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The Labour MP was speaking on behalf of her constituent, former West Boldon postmaster, Chris Head who claims to have lost around £100,000 as a result of the faulty IT system.

Mr Head was among hundreds of sub-postmasters who reached a settlement against the Post Office in a £58million settlement in December 2019.

Earlier this year Mr Head launched a petition for an inquiry to see those responsible are held to account.

Now Ms Osborne has called on the Prime Minister to act and “commit to launching an independent inquiry”.

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In response, Mr Johnson said he was “aware of the disaster” and was “happy to commit to getting to the bottom of the matter in the way that she recommends.”

Former West Boldon postmaster Chris Head.Former West Boldon postmaster Chris Head.
Former West Boldon postmaster Chris Head.

Mr Head has welcomed the news ahead of his own visit to Downing Street on Wednesday, March 4 when he will hand over the 5,000 signatures he has gathered.

“This is a step in the right direction,” said the 32-year-old.

“I have been relentless with the pressure, I have campaigned non-stop on social media and delivered thousands of leaflets and it has paid off, it has made an impact.”

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He continued: “It’s been a long time coming. There are people who were much worse off than me and much older who perhaps don’t have the energy to fight this, so I feel I can contribute a little bit more.”

Jarrow MP Kate Osborne.Jarrow MP Kate Osborne.
Jarrow MP Kate Osborne.

But he added that there was still a long road ahead.

“We don’t know what type of inquiry it will be yet, it could be months or years down the line,” he said.

“This isn’t going to be a short term thing, but this is the first step towards the end goal. It’s the right way forward.”