Sir Alan Bates says knighthood will be put to ‘good use’

Campaigner and former subpostmaster Sir Alan Bates said he will put his knighthood to “good use” after receiving it in a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Sir Alan was honoured for his services to justice, having been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours in June. He received his knighthood from the Princess Anne on Wednesday.

The 70-year-old was thrust into the limelight after an ITV drama highlighted how he led a campaign on behalf of subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted for stealing.

He previously turned down being made an OBE while former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells held on to her CBE.

Earlier this year, Downing Street backed calls for Sir Alan to be knighted after Ms Vennells returned her honour.

Speaking after the ceremony, he said it felt “most unusual” to receive the royal honour, but added: “I accept it gratefully, but not just for myself, but for the whole group, and for everything we’ve all been through.

“If it gives me an extra sort of stick to beat the authorities over the head, so be it – I’ll put it to good use.”

Sir Alan leads the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, campaigning for financial redress for the 555 victims who took part in the landmark group legal action against the Post Office.

More than 700 subpostmasters were wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015, after faulty software called Horizon indicated that money was missing from Post Office branch accounts.

Earlier this month, he called for the government to set a deadline of next March to give the redress payments, after he accused it of dragging out the process.

In August, Sir Alan married his longtime partner, Suzanne Sercombe, on Sir Richard Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands.

The Virgin tycoon officiated the ceremony, and told The Sunday Times – who first reported on the wedding – it was an “absolute joy to play a small part” in the couple’s love story.