Horizon scandal hero Alan Bates gifted luxury flights and trip to Richard Branson's private island after TV drama
8 January 2024, 11:13 | Updated: 8 January 2024, 12:52
The hero of the Post Office Horizon scandal has been gifted upper class flights and a trip to Richard Branson's private island in the wake of a new TV drama about the injustice.
Alan Bates, a former sub-postmaster who campaigned to expose the Horizon Post Office scandal, is at the centre of a new ITV drama, Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
Speaking to The Sunday Times after the show aired, Mr Bates, who now lives in Colwyn Bay, Wales, said: “If Richard Branson is reading this, I’d love a holiday.”
Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss read Mr Bates' comments and offered him Upper Class Return flights to a destination of his choice, "to make sure they can enjoy a well earned break".
A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic also told LBC that Richard Branson also read the piece, offering him a luxury stay on his private island in the Caribbean.
The TV drama has enraged the nation as it told the story of how hundreds of Post Office workers were wrongly given criminal convictions after faulty software made it look as though money was missing.
It has also brought the Horizon scandal back into political focus, with government ministers set to meet today to consider clearing the names of hundreds of sub-postmasters amid claims 'dozens more were wrongly prosecuted'.
Alex Chalk, the Justice Secretary, is expected to meet the minister for the Post Offfice, Kevin Hollinrake, to discuss the matter on Monday.
Read More: Petition to strip Paula Vennells of CBE over Horizon scandal reaches one million signatures
The Post Office acted as a prosecutor as it brought cases against sub-postmasters between 1999 and 2015, leaving many wrongfully imprisoned.
The government said in September last year that every sub-postmaster wrongfully convicted would be offered £600,000 in compensation to settle their claim.
Not all of the money has been paid out, and campaigners have urged the government to fast-track the compensation.
Rishi Sunak confirmed on Sunday that Mr Chalk is trying to find a way to speed up that process - potentially by removing the Post Office from the appeals process.
"It wouldn't be right to pre-empt that process, obviously there's legal complexity in all of those things," Mr Sunak said.
"It's right we find every which way we can do to try and make this right for these people who were wrongfully treated at the time.
"Compensation is a part of that but there may be legal things that may be possible as well, and that's what the justice secretary is looking at."
Meanwhile, speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast last week, the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged the government to pay compensation to the victims of the Post Office accounting scandal 'without delay'.
"Many of those that did come through had severe mental and health issues as a result, and I know that personally."Compensation has been set aside for them. It should have been paid in December.
"The Treasury have put the money aside, so it's not unavailable - but it hasn't all been paid.
"So of course those involved should be held to account, but I say to the government now: 'Get on with it. Do at least that bit right.'"