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4 ASIAN TRADER 4 OCTOBER 2024
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The Post Of ce announced
that Nick Read has decided to
step down as chief executive
on 15 March 2025.
Read was appointed CEO in
September 2019, with a remit
to modernise Post Of ce.
In November 2019, he led
the settlement with the group
litigation claimants in the
Horizon case, beginning the
journey to address the wrongs
of the past and to reset the
relationship with postmas-
ters.
Post Of ce said he champi-
oned the appointment of two
postmasters to the board and
focused on increasing post-
master remuneration,
training, expanding fi eld
teams and support as part of an
initiative to place postmasters
at the heart of organisation.
“It has been a great privi-
lege to work with colleagues
and postmasters during the
past fi ve years in what has been
an extraordinarily challenging
time for the business and for
postmasters,” Read said.
The 2019 settlement paved
the way for redress for
postmasters impacted by the
Horizon scandal, leading to
government legislation to
exonerate those wrongly
convicted.
Post Of ce chief executive
Nick Read steps down
Red letter day
he Post of ce Inquiry, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams,
has now commenced Phase 7, the last. As the gun
smoke of Phase 6 clears, revealing the shattered
reputations of many of the main players in the drama, the
hearings will begin to examine current practice and proce-
dure at the Post Of ce, as well as compensation.
The idea is that “best practice” and the culture of the
institution will be – “renewed” is not the correct word here,
but perhaps “instituted” will do; although hopes are not
high.
Sir Alan Bates, champion of the downtrodden subpost-
masters, has accused the government (whose civil servants
and ministers we have seen revealed during the hearings as
aloof or disinterested, if not worse) of cynicism and
foot-dragging over already long-delayed and incomplete
compensation pay-outs.
“The whole compensation issue [is] out to exhaust
victims until their deaths”, he said, while calling on the
authorities to set a deadline of next March to pay, and
criticised the Group Litigation Order scheme for being a
“gravy train” for government lawyers:
“I have come to the conclusion that the department is
run by government-employed fl imfl am artists, whose only
role is to draw out the GLO Scheme, and probably the other
schemes, and spin the narrative then bury it in bureaucra-
cy.”
We hope sagacious Sir Wyn – whose interjections during
the inquiry always hinted that he knew exactly what the
government and Post Of ce were up to, and had done, and
were still doing – will have the power and thunder to fi nally
push the establishment elephant up and over the hill.
Meanwhile, the new government has settled in and is
preparing its budget, having already announced other
policies, to a mixed reception from the public. One proposed
piece of legislation that will be of concern to convenience
retailers is the upcoming Vape and Tobacco bill.
We mention this often because the categories represent
an important fraction of revenue and profi t for retailers,
never mind vapour being a long-term, healthier income
replacement for tobacco.
The hostility from politicians to vape, and the diminu-
tion of civil rights in the push to eventually ban all nicotine,
is revealed by a recent poll of Labour MPs which asked them
to rank in order of importance the upcoming legislation. It
revealed that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill had the lowest
priority, with just four replying that it was in their top three
priorities over the coming months. In fact, nearly half of
them (48%) said the proposed bill was their lowest priority.
Unfortunately, what this means is that no MP is willing
to spend any of their (rapidly diminishing) political capital
on defending the rights of smokers or vapers, although it
appears they are keen to ban petrol and diesel vehicles and
central-heating boilers as soon as possible: Ed Miliband’s
“Great British Energy Bill” led the list of priorities, with 27%
of MPs marking it as their top priority.
So, the UK is now the only major economy that cannot
manufacture steel from scratch, and we must all buy EVS
from China.
Prime Minister Keir
Starmer said at the Trade
Unions Conference.
Addressing the delegates
in Brighton, Starmer
expressed concern at
rising retail crime levels.
Responding to a
question from Usdaw on
abuse of shop workers, Starmer
said, “On the question of
of ences against retail workers,
this truly is shocking. It is not
acceptable, and it can’t be
acceptable in any circumstanc-
es. It is demoralising for the
workforce, and that’s why I’m
pleased we can introduce an
of ence to deal with it.
“We can’t have the situation
where shoplifters can walk in,
shoplift and walk back out again
and nobody can do anything
about it. We’re going to change
that, work with you. We have to
take it seriously. I’m not
wanting to hear again from
those on the front line about the
appalling attacks and insults
that they are subjected to.
“It’s everywhere across the
country; it is really hard for the
workforce to take. You have
rightly championed it as a cause.
We join in that cause and we will
do something about it, working
with trade unions on such an
important issue.”
Speaking after the speech in
the Brighton Centre, Paddy
Lillis – Usdaw general secretary
said, “Keir’s address was an
honest account of where our
broken economy stands, after it
was trashed by the Conserva-
tives. He laid bare the hard work
and tough choices that will have
to be taken as we head towards
the light at the end of the
tunnel, to deliver new hope for
the country.”
Labour will ‘go further’ to crack down on retail
crime says PM
Starmer vows to get
Starmer vows to get
tough on retail crime
tough on retail crime
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