Welsh Tory MP denies ‘jumping on bandwagon’ in Post Office scandal

Martin Shipton

Ynys Môn Tory MP Virginia Crosbie has denied jumping on a bandwagon after the family of a sub-postmaster who was wrongly jailed asked her to stop mentioning his case on social media.

Noel Thomas, who ran a post office in Ms Crosbie’s constituency, was one of hundreds of victims falsely accused of stealing money from the Post Office when accounting faults were in fact caused by the Horizon computer system. He was given a nine-month prison sentence and disqualified from being a councillor.

After Ms Crosbie referred to Mr Thomas’ case on Facebook, the ex sub-postmaster’s daughter Sian Vaughan Thomas posted a message which said: “Virginia Crosby, may I please ask who you are, I never met you, dad apparently met you once a few years ago, and you never acknowledges [sic] that meeting, could you please stop putting things on social media about Noel my dad, we are finding it very upsetting. Diolch Thomas family.”

‘Publicity stunt’

In another comment on Instagram, Mr Thomas’ son Edwin Thomas addressed Virginia Crosbie, saying: “Hi, please don’t use my father’s name to help promote yourself. He came to you asking for help and you took no notice of him. This is a publicity stunt from you so please never use his name again. Thanks.”

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts raised in the House of Commons the plight of Mr Thomas and other sub-postmasters, saying: “Former Plaid Cymru councillor Noel Thomas’ 16-year-long quest for justice has had enormous repercussions for him and his family. He faced imprisonment, bankruptcy, and the loss of his home. He describes his nine months spent in prison as ‘hell on earth’.

“I know now of people who will not work on #PostOffice counters. This has meant that there are communities that have lost their post offices. Not just individuals have suffered this agony but also communities have lost essential facilities. What assessment has the Minister made of the loss of post offices following the scandal, and the effect on communities, particularly rural communities?”

Kevin Hollinrake, the UK Government Business and Trade Minister responsible for the Post Office, told Ms Saville Roberts: “On behalf of the Government and the Post Office, I apologise for what happened to Mr Thomas, who obviously featured very heavily in the programme. It was such a moving story, and anybody watching would have been moved to tears by what happened to him and others.

“Individual sub-postmasters lost their reputation, and they can get compensation for that, but the right hon. Lady is right to say that the post office network itself may have suffered some loss of reputation. I still believe that our post office network is hugely valued, and that citizens and constituents hold it in very high regard.

“To make sure that we have suitable post office provision around the country, the key thing is to ensure that post offices are financially viable and sustainable. We are working very hard on that. For example, we are encouraging the Post Office to take a firmer line in negotiations on the banking framework, which is a significant revenue opportunity for the network, and on parcel hubs. We see a bright future for the network, but it is vital that we draw a line under this scandal before we secure that future.”

Supported

In the same Parliamentary question session, Ms Crosbie asked Mr Hollinrake: “Noel Thomas, one of my constituents, was a former sub-postmaster who was wrongly convicted. His conviction for false accounting in 2006 was overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2021. How is my hon. Friend ensuring that sub-postmasters such as Noel Thomas, across the UK, are heard, supported, recompensed, recognised and, most importantly, exonerated? Will the Minister meet Noel Thomas, should he wish that to happen?”

The Minister responded: “I would be delighted to meet Noel Thomas. A key part of the excellent dramatisation Mr Bates vs The Post Office and of Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The Real Story, which sits behind it and which people can also watch, features Mr Thomas.

“His story was incredibly moving and anybody who saw it would be moved by it, so of course I will meet him. I am keen to ensure that he gets not only the apology he deserves, but the redress he deserves, and I am sure we can discuss that when we meet. The Government are keen to make sure that the compensation schemes work as effectively as possible, to make sure that Mr Thomas gets the compensation he needs and he is able to move on with his life.”

‘Fairness’

Plaid Cymru issued a statement from its general election candidate for Ynys Môn Llinos Medi saying: “Thank you Liz Saville Roberts for referring specifically to Noel Thomas in the House of Commons. As a Member of Parliament for Ynys Môn, I would be privileged to stand in the House of Commons and demand fairness for our Noel, along with all the other postmasters.”

Ms Crosbie responded: “Even by Plaid Cymru’s usual standards of hypocrisy this is a new low. It is perfectly legitimate for me to ask a minister if he would meet one of my constituents following such a terrible scandal. I was doing my job. If I had not, I would probably have been criticised for doing nothing.

“Accusations I have just joined the bandwagon are nonsense too. I spoke about this issue in Parliament and mentioned Mr Thomas back in 2021. There was no Plaid organised outcry then. I find it particularly hypocritical that no-one is accusing Liz Saville Roberts of joining the bandwagon when she mentioned Mr Thomas in Parliament just minutes before me, and he is not even her constituent.

“That Mr Thomas’ family do not want me to mention him again is fine. I have not mentioned him or posted on social media about him since the family asked me not to do so. He now has the invitation to meet with a minister that I secured. If he doesn’t want to do so, then that is his decision. I wish him and his family the very best.”