Minister admits Dowden made ‘mistake’ by failing to sack Vennells from £17,500 government job

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The Liberal Democrats have called on the Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden, to come clean over his failure to sack disgraced ex-Post Office CEO, Paula Vennells, from her senior government position even after the full extent of the Horizon scandal was exposed.

It comes after the Postal Affairs Minister, Kevin Hollinrake, admitted in Parliament that the failure to remove her was a ‘mistake’, in response to a question by Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper.

Daisy Cooper asked why Vennells was not sacked as a Director at the Cabinet Office after the landmark High Court judgement on the Horizon scandal in December 2019. Hollinrake replied to the point by saying that ‘with hindsight, many people would see that as a mistake’. 

Vennells remained in her government role until March 2020. She was paid £17,500 of taxpayers’ money over the period she held the role, including £15,000 in the year 2019/20.

Following the exchange, the Liberal Democrats have called on the current Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden – who was Minister for the Cabinet Office when the High Court judgement was handed down in 2019 – to apologise for failing to sack Vennells as soon as the courts made clear the extent of her disastrous failings in the Horizon scandal. 

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper MP said: 

“It beggars belief that Conservative Ministers appointed Paula Vennells to a top job in the heart of Government and handed her a CBE in 2019.

“Oliver Dowden needs to come clean over his failure to sack Vennells from her government job the moment the full extent of this horrific scandal and the full extent of the Post Office’s appalling behaviour was revealed.

“Nobody rewarded Paula Vennells more than this Conservative government: the victims and the public need to hear an explanation as to why.”

ENDS