Fired postmaster loses imperial order

The former head of the British Post Office, Paula Vennells, has been stripped of the Order of the British Empire.

The announcement was made briefly on the government’s website, where King Charles’ decision is justified by the fact that Vennells “has dishonored the honour”.

There has been a storm around Vennells after a TV series in January resurrected a scandal that ran between 1999 and 2015 in which hundreds of postal workers were accused of theft after large sums of money were said to have disappeared from the offices. The cause was in fact an IT error.

During his time as postmaster, Vennells allowed the prosecution to continue, despite the knowledge of the problems with the software. After the criticism, she has offered to return her order.

The inflamed criticism has also reached the government, which according to the post’s former chairman, Henry Staunton, has requested that compensation to the victims be delayed until after the next election so as not to strain the government’s budget.

Around 1,900 people are still waiting for money. According to a government decision, each person wrongly named must receive at least 600,000 pounds, equivalent to close to 8 million kroner. According to The Times, 250 people named have died without being compensated.