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Post Office hero Alan Bates has been snubbed in a ‘surprise’ honours list. The list – which includes awards for MPs and a major Tory donor – was issued ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend.
But Mr Bates – who battled against Post Office bosses for more than 20 years – was not on the list. The 69-year-old campaigner has since insisted he would have refused any knighthood.
The ex-subpostmaster became a national treasure after ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office highlighted the plight of those affected by the Horizon IT scandal. More than 130,000 people have signed petition launched by the Mirror calling for Mr Bates to be knighted.
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He previously rejected an OBE because ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells still had her CBE. But she has since handed it back following intense public pressure, Mirror reports.
Rishi Sunak is now being urged to explain why Mr Bates is on the list – despite the Prime Minister previously backing calls for him to be honoured. In January, Sunak’s press secretary said it was ‘hard to think of someone more deserving’ of an honour.
On Friday (March 2), a No10 source said the PM supports calls for Mr Bates to get a knighthood and signalled it could be considered later this year. Honours are usually announced to mark the New Year and the monarch’s birthday – but can be awarded in special circumstances.
The honours list included a knighthood for senior Tory treasurer Mohamed Mansour, who donated £5million last year. Four Tory MPs, including Philip Davies – husband of Minister Esther McVey – and Farming Minister Mark Spencer were also honoured.
Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan was knighted, while his producer wife Emma Thomas was given a damehood. Netflix chief Ted Sarandos was awarded a CBE.
Labour MP Kevan Jones, on the Horizon compensation board, said: “The PM clearly thinks rewarding Tory donors and political cronies is more important than Alan Bates. I am sure it won’t bother Alan, he’s used to being ignored over the years by the establishment, but his public service stands in marked contrast to some on the list.”
Pat McFadden, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Wolverhampton South East MP, has written to Deputy PM Oliver Dowden to demand answers over the honours list. In a letter, he said: “The Prime Minister’s decision is part of a pattern of behaviour where he repeatedly puts the interests of himself and the Conservative Party before that of the country.”
He added: “Just weeks ago, the Prime Minister backed calls for Alan Bates to be knighted for his contribution in delivering justice for those affected by the Horizon scandal. Yet, his name is absent from this list.”
Mr Bates said: “What’s new? That’s the system. It wouldn’t be right to accept while people are still waiting for money owed them. The crusade is most certainly not over.”
Asked if the PM still supports a knighthood for Mr Bates, a No10 source said: “Yes he does. This was a short list to celebrate recent success in the British film industry, AI and the reforming of the NI executive but he definitely does and there will be other opportunities such as at the New Year.”
More than 900 subpostmasters were wrongly prosecuted for theft and fraud between 1999 and 2015 because of the faulty Horizon IT system. Many were jailed while others have since died or taken their life.
Mr Bates led a High Court case brought by 555 sub-postmasters.
