An ex-deputy postmistress from London has announced her intention to stand against the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, in the upcoming general election. Yvonne Tracey, who worked at New Malden post office for over three decades, expressed her determination to challenge Sir Ed over his role in the Post Office scandal. The scandal involved the wrongful prosecution of more than 700 branch owner-operators from 1999 to 2015, based on faulty information from Horizon software introduced by the Post Office.
Sir Ed Davey, MP for Kingston and Surbiton, has faced criticism over his initial refusal to meet campaigner Alan Bates when he was a minister. In response to the outrage, Sir Ed has now stated that he was “deeply misled” by Post Office executives. However, he has also been accused of squirming when pressed to apologize for his handling of the scandal during an ITV interview.
Union leaders have slammed former ministers for launching “outrageous” and “cowardly” attacks on civil servants over the scandal. In a controversial move, Sir Ed Davey and ex-business secretary Peter Mandelson were criticized for targeting civil servants regarding the Horizon IT scandal, with Davey claiming that he had been lied to by civil servants when he raised concerns over the convictions of subpostmasters.
Yvonne Tracey’s decision to stand against Sir Ed Davey highlights the growing backlash over the Post Office scandal and the increasing pressure on political figures involved. As the controversy continues to unfold, the upcoming general election is poised to be a significant battleground for holding those accountable for their roles in the wrongful prosecutions.
