NTAs crowed gobsmacked as Post Office scandal victim unveils ongoing struggle in emotional speech

Post Office scandal victim Jo Hamilton has spoken out about the ongoing compensation battle for sub postmasters, revealing that they “still haven’t been paid”. At the National Television Awards (NTAs), where she accepted the special Impact award for the ITV drama Mr Bates versus The Post Office, the ex-Royal Mail employee claimed that under the current Labour government, “nothing has changed”.

Addressing the crowd, she expressed gratitude, saying: “I want to say thank you to all of my colleagues who are behind me, and without strength in numbers we wouldn’t have got to where we are. And the public got right behind us and changed, literally changed, everything.”

Jo held the audience’s attention as she provided an update on their fight for compensation, sharing: “What I would like you to know is I went to Westminster a couple of weeks back and saw the new Minister. And trust me, nothing has changed.”

The atmosphere shifted dramatically when Jo revealed: “It’s true. And almost all of these people behind me haven’t been paid yet. Out of a group of 555, more than 300 haven’t been paid yet including Sir Alan Bates.”

She went on to outline the future steps: “But he has a plan. So when he gets back to the nation for help, please be there to support him. Thank you.”

Support for Jo and her fellow victims was palpable as the auditorium filled with cheers, demonstrating the profound effect Mr Bates vs The Post Office had on viewers, reports the Express.

At the National Television Awards, where Mr Bates vs The Post Office won Best New Drama, Toby Jones delivered a poignant message to the government. The 58-year-old actor, who portrayed Alan Bates – the subpostmaster who initiated the legal challenge – expressed his gratitude upon receiving the award at the annual event held at The O2 in London on Wednesday evening.

He stated: “This means an awful lot, not just to me but to the extraordinary people who inspired our show.”

The four-part ITV drama highlighted the plight of the subpostmasters affected by the faulty Horizon computer system and their wrongful accusations of theft, leading to government action for exoneration and compensation following its broadcast.

Following its broadcast the government set out to exonerate and compensate those affected.

Catch up with the NTAs on ITV and ITVX.