'The Post Office scandal ruined lives and Paula Vennells should be stripped of her honours'

Hundreds of people were wrongly convicted of crimes because of a defective Post Office computer system, and if its former boss has any decency should would return her CBE

If the former Post Office boss Paula Vennells had an ounce of decency she would return her CBE.

Ms Vennells was in charge of the company when it was responsible for one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history.

On her watch hundreds of people were wrongly convicted of crimes because of the defective Horizon computer system.

The Post Office pursued these prosecutions even though the firm was in the wrong, not innocent subpostmasters and postmistresses.

The decisions taken during Ms Vennells’ tenure ruined people’s lives.

Dozens went to jail, many were financially broken. All were maligned and humiliated.

It was shameful the person at the helm during this scandal was considered for an honour. It was even more shameful she agreed to accept it.

She has shown no indication she has any intention of wishing to hand back her CBE. If she will not do the right thing then the powers that be should by stripping her of the award.

Salary shame

Families are struggling with the biggest income squeeze in more than five decades.

But not everyone is struggling: the bosses of Britain’s biggest companies are still raking in seven-figure pay cheques.

The chief executive of a FTSE 100 company will have earned more by 1pm today on average than a typical worker will make all year. It didn’t used to be this way.

In 1960 the bosses of the biggest firms earned 21 times more than the average worker.

Today, they are earning 109 times more. These exorbitant salaries are not a reflection of talent or performance.

They are a reflection of a country that licences greed and sanctions inequality.