Mr Bates vs The Post Office: Alan Bates wins Horizon payout

Sir Alan Bates, who campaigned for more than 20 years to overturn one of Britain’s biggest miscarriages of justice, has reached a settlement with the government.

The government confirmed on Tuesday that it had settled a claim with Sir Alan, who led efforts to prove that the Horizon software system, used by the Post Office and supplied by Japanese technology company Fujitsu, was faulty.

The faulty software led to hundreds of subpostmasters being wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015, with a number of people either ending their own lives or attempting to do so.

A government spokesperson said: “We pay tribute to Sir Alan Bates for his long record of campaigning on behalf of victims and have now paid out over £1.2 billion to more than 9,000 victims.

“We can confirm that Sir Alan’s claim has reached the end of the scheme process and been settled.”

The long-running battle for justice was dramatically accelerated after ITV broadcast the drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, highlighting the scandal.

Many are believed to still be awaiting full compensation, despite the previous government announcing payouts of up to £600,000 for those with overturned convictions.

A specific scheme – the Group Litigation Order (GLO) – was created for the 555 claimants who had sued the Post Office in the High Court from 2017 to 2019.

Under this scheme, claimants can either accept a fixed £75,000 payment or negotiate a bespoke settlement. Disputed claims are reviewed by an independent panel, with a final appeal option to former High Court judge Sir Ross Cranston.

Knighted last year for his justice efforts, Sir Alan founded the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA).

It’s believed that around 80% of claimants in Sir Alan’s group have either accepted their full settlement or received the majority of it.