The Department for Work and Pensions has yet to appoint an independent reviewer into its prosecution of around 100 Post Office workers
Nearly a year after announcing an independent review into its prosecution of around 100 Post Office workers, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has yet to appoint a reviewer or begin the process.
The review was announced in August 2025 to examine the DWP’s role in prosecuting Post Office staff between 2001 and 2006, when the faulty Horizon computer system was generating unreliable financial data.
Unlike the roughly 900 convictions secured by the Post Office — which were quashed through legislation — the convictions arising from DWP prosecutions remain in place.
The department advertised for an independent reviewer in March, with applications reportedly closing in April.
However, no appointment has been made and no work has begun.
The DWP said the delay followed the change of Government and that Prime Minister Andy Burnham must consider the appointment before the review can proceed.
It also pointed to two ministerial changes within the department since Mr Burnham took office, saying a decision would be made once the new administration is fully established.
The lack of progress means those convicted are still waiting for the review to start.
Even once under way, the review’s current remit does not include the power to overturn convictions.
Keren Simpson, whose father was prosecuted by the DWP and has since died, said: “The Department for Work and Pensions knows they’re guilty, and they don’t want to be implicated in anything to do with the Horizon system or the Post Office.”
Solicitor Neil Hudgell, whose firm represents 19 people convicted following DWP prosecutions, described the situation as “a scandal within a scandal”.
“At the heart of all this are a number of badly affected Post Office victims for whom the pain and suffering endures,” he said. “And who fear they have been left behind and forgotten.”
He said nothing short of “a full review of all cases on their own merits” would be sufficient.
The case of Roger Allen is among those highlighted by campaigners.
Mr Allen and his wife Julie ran a Post Office together when she was arrested at the branch in 2002.
Mrs Allen said: “We were guilty before we ever got anywhere.” She said investigators told her husband that charges against her would be dropped if he admitted guilt.
Mr Allen pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in prison in 2004 after being convicted of theft, despite having previously suffered an aneurysm and being advised against serving a prison term.
He died in March 2024. Although the Criminal Cases Review Commission identified grounds for an appeal, the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction in 2021.
“I want it to be ended,” Mrs Allen said. “Because it’s always there in the back of my mind.”
The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, which advises the Government on compensation, criticised the proposed review last month, saying its terms of reference were “far too restricted”.
It argued that the relevant test should be whether Horizon was being used at the time of a prosecution, rather than whether the system was essential to securing a conviction.
The board called for all outstanding convictions linked to Horizon to be quashed through legislation or a fast‑tracked review process.
The DWP has said its investigations relied on a range of evidence, including surveillance footage, stolen benefit books, handwriting analysis and witness testimony, rather than Horizon data alone.
A DWP spokesman said: “We remain committed to an independent review of these prosecutions, and we’ll update on the appointment of a reviewer in due course.”
